314- I Barely Knew Ye.

So I'm thinking that tonight was my last time to play at 314 Student Ministries...it's a little sad to be honest. But, I've got church camp to look forward to. Alex said he might cry because it's our last time to play as a band. I might cry too...ColorBlindRed has given me so many opportunities to let out what's inside of me, musically. I remember the first time I ever played with Alex, Bobby, and everyone. I didn't even have a drumset when CBR was first formed. I just knew I was getting one for Christmas, and thankfully I did. I think that they might have thought that I knew exactly what I was doing and had been playing for years. But really, I just had an idea...and a musical background to start with. The drumset sounded horrible...it really kinda sucked to be honest. Since then, we've added and taken away band members, gotten better equipment, got new songs, WROTE some songs of our own, and just matured a great deal with our musical talents. It seem like just as we hit our prime, it all comes tumbling down. But, I can't think of a better way to end our 3-year adventure than a week of Falls Creek. Who knows, maybe in a few years, we'll resurrect this thing...

Tomorrow, Johnson and I are going up to Falls Creek to deliver some food and stuff to the cabin before everyone gets there. I'm actually driving a new GMC Sierra that I don't own, so I'm a bit nervous...but I'll be fine. It should be fun...Let's go campin'!

New Songs...New Beginnings

    Posted on CBR's Myspace:

    Well hello there, you look like someone in need of some music to listen to. Well, guess what! It's your lucky day! Ya see, ColorBlindRed just uploaded 4 great songs to this very myspace. For real guys, whether you like them or not, we'd like to hear your input and know that you still care about us...even if we're the worst thing you've ever heard in your entire life. Ya, for real. So the music posted, but here's a little detail on each, in order:

Entropy: This is by far the oldest of the four. It dates back to the days when we got to play with Bobby a lot more. And, actually, he started the song, musically. Alex finished the guitar parts, and wrote the actual lyrics...just like every song lol. This song is somewhat intense in its own way. It's a bit hard, and sounds kinda dark, but the lyrics are really moving. It talks of how we lose our way from God sometimes, but also of how great it is when we find our way back. This is the songs that made us believe we can actually do this song-writing stuff, and the other three songs are spawned from it. It's also our first-ever attempt at a breakdown. Luke continues the break, and Alex thrashes toward the end of the breakdown.

Polarization: When you listen to this song, you get a feeling of just "not knowing", but wanting to so bad. It's really a praise song, asking God to let us know what He wants us for, and letting us feel His presence more. It's really a good unconventional praise song. It could be sung......or........prayed. That's my opinion on it. Get's a little crazy toward the end. Nice scream at the end Alex!

Tautology:  Hey, we let Luke start the song! This song is very interesting, it can be taken in different ways. It's sounds somewhat like it was written out of frustration. We have so much in us that we want to let out for God, or should want to. But, we don't, and it...sucks. But, it's also saying "hey, ya know what, I'm not gonna take this anymore...let's do this God!". By far, this has the bets breakdown of any song and a great solo toward the end of it. Entropy had a good breakdown, this kicks its butt. Musically, it's probably my favorite. When we first started this song, and I heard how it started and the bass line, I wasn't too excited about it...but now it's a favorite of mine.

Hysterics: Originally "My Cry", this song is our newest and THE MOST emotional song I've ever played. Possibly the most emotional you've ever heard too. If you don't feel it by listening, try to sing it and see where it takes you. Sadly, it also sounds the worst of the four songs...which is why I put it last on the list. That way, if you get sick of us, you won't hear the worst recording, and we can say we gave you our best! I'm not exactly sure why the name was changed...maybe so that it fit in with the others, that's my guess. I've never played a song that brought me closer to God.

    We really hope you enjoy these songs. We've had three of them for a while and we've wanted others to get to hear them for sooo long. But, with our busy schedules, we never had time to record them. And, now that we did, it's not professional by any means. It's a simple computer mic and my laptop with some recording software. It took about 2 hours to position the microphone right, and record all four songs. Hysterics, the most emotional and touching song, was recorded in one straight shot (no do-overs) toward the end of it. A nice ending to what was likely the last time we will record for at least a few years. Before you critique and tell us that the vocals could be louder(especially in Hysterics) or the drums are too loud, please realize that we know it too and would fix it if we could. We're sorry for their poor quality, but we hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoy playing them. We've wanted to play these songs for other people for a long time...unfortunately, they don't quite fit in well with our conventional praise and worship songs, even though we've spiced those up also. And now, after we've gotten our first taste of playing at an actual show with people who come to hear what we've written (not what we've copied), we won't get to play them. We simply could not go on with life before we were certain that others knew what we could do musically...what was in our hearts...what we wrote for God and for you.

    Luke and I are moving off to Florida, Alex is going to NSU...ColorBlindRed will be no more in less than 2 weeks now. It makes us outrageously sad, because it has been so much fun doing God's work and writing our own songs for more than 2 years now. But, who knows what can happen after a few years? We'll all be out of college and able to do what we want. ColorBlindRed could get back together, and if we've forgotten the songs..guess what..they're right here, on our Myspace. I'm going to pursue a degree in Music Engineering at UF, so hopefully someday I can open my own recording studio. ColorBlindRed could be my first project. We'll see what happens. Until then, tell us what you think of our songs, we want to hear it all...good or bad. Keep in touch with me (swampchomp07@yahoo.com), Alex(hard_rocker_band_nerd@yahoo.com), Luke (dragonslade_07@yahoo.com), and hopefully things will work out for the best in the future. Pray for us as we start life in the "real world" and find what God has in store for us. To all of you who supported, listened, praised, worshiped, and followed us wherever we played at..we say thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, we hope we touched you in one way or another. Because you listened, and that means a lot. Never forget us, we'll never forget you. We love all of you...God Bless.
-Curt

If you haven't heard the songs, you can check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/colorblindred.

Why Is Myspace More Popular Than Facebook?

Ok kids, I'm gonna be honest, I really don't have much to talk about so I thought about this topic...

Alright, Myspace is by far the most popular site for networking, blogging, sucking up to friends, and losing them. Umm, so uhhhh, WHY!?!? I realize that there are so many sites like this out there, and one has to shine above the rest, by I don't understand how the national favorite could be the most corny, security-lacking, and time consuming one of them all. I have a Myspace for one reason, and it's ColorBlindRed...I'll admit that it's much better for bands than Facebook, but when you look at pages for individuals, it's somewhat retarded. One of it's biggest features is the users' ability to change the layout of their page. You can find just about anything to make your page stand out. Categories range from your favorite sports team to "I think President Bush is a hottie!". Ya, that's pretty sad. And, I suppose, that's a pretty sweet feature...if you have nothing better to do than sit at your computer all day and look for "that special layout" that only last about 3 days or until you realize that you didn't get any compliments on it from your friends. Know why? Because they're too busy doing the exact same thing to care! It's these layouts, full of pictures that take 20 minutes to load, that make Myspace so time-consuming. A person could spend an entire day at their computer...half picking out a new layout, and the other half loading your friends' pages. You spend 30 minutes loading one page only to find out that your friend hasn't updated their page is 2 weeks...ya, that was a well-spent portion of your day. So you finally load your friend's entire page, and you look at their top friends list. Hmm, you're not there. So now, Myspace has wasted about 30 minutes of your day, and you've decided not to talk to your friend for a month. That's Myspace's mission: take their time, and ruin their friendships.

Why go through that when there's such a gift to the world as Facebook. With Facebook, you know exactly what your friends are doing, when they do it, and when something changes about what they're doing. And, you can see it all on one page. I can see exact updates from my friends in 10 minutes...ya, 10 minutes. That's unheard of on Myspace, even if you have ONE friend. You can actually add the same things to your profile page as Myspace, only instead of confusing html codes that can make your page look stupid, you press a button called "Add Application"...beautiful, I know. You know what's happening with your friends from events such as "Curt is going to the lake" to "Curt updated his favorite music". And, if you just want to look at someone's profile to see what they've added, it doesn't take 20 minutes. Actually, it takes about 2, even on dial-up. I have a toolbar on my Firefox browser that tells me when I have new messages and friend requests, as well as status updates from my friends. It also imports blog posts. This entire piece I'm writing right now, will be imported into Facebook for all of my friends to see. On their main page it will say "Curt has written a new note", automatically, I won't have to do a thing.

So why then, is Myspace so much more popular? It can't just be because of the layouts you can't have on Facebook. I, personally, think it's just because so many people are afraid to try something new when the old school stuff they've used since the very beginning is still working. I'm tellin' ya people, Facebook is much better. It's fast, it's convenient, it looks good, and it gives you the information you want when you want it. Screw myspace, it's old and outdated now, they keep adding new things but these new things only make pages longer to load! I don't think Myspace is going anywhere any time soon, but that's alright, I'm going to keep enjoying Facebook...only now, I feel as if I've done my duty by telling the rest of the world of its wonder. You're welcome Facebook, you're welcome.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow, I'm going over to Alex's house to help him record some stuff on guitar and then I'm taking my sister to Ft. Smith because I was conned into it by my mom. They scheduled an appointment for me, just so I'd HAVE to take Kaleigh! WOW! It's ok though, they're canceling my appointment, and I'm just taking her. I'm not excited about it, but whatever. I think we're going to try to record again after church, hopefully things will go a little smoother this time.

That's your update/commercial/flame for today. Cheers yo!

I. Need. Church. Camp.

I'm completely ready for a week of spiritual refreshment. I have extremely high hopes for camp this year, and I keep having this feeling that nothing can beat last year. Last year was the best year ever, but not because we had more fun. It was just this feeling of complete togetherness that everyone shared. So many different social groups were represented in both genders, but everyone, and I do mean everyone, felt close to his/her fellow camper. I've already been blessed this year, before camp has even started. We all thought that Bobby wasn't going to get the chance to go to camp, because his band would be touring. But, suddenly, he doesn't have a band anymore. I'd feel bad, but he's already found another band. So, we'll have that oh so important, long-lost, legendary 5th member of ColorBlindRed playing with us again this year. Funny thing is, I don't just want him there to make the music better, I want him there to get everyone in the "praise and worship zone". He knows how to do that like no other.

We played tonight at 314, and we did pretty well despite the foot pedal malfunction that Alex had. Tonight was quite strange, if you know what I'm talking about then good for you, but I'm not going to go into it on here. It's not my business anyway. Despite all the strange happenings, I was really in a good mood all night. Even though I found out that one of my friends lied to me...that's God right there, that. is. God. When you can stay in a good mood after a bunch of drama and having a friend lie to you, the only thing that could be behind that is God. And I think Him for that. Try a little Jesus in your life...works wonders. Cheers yo.

Everything Happens For A Reason...

Sometimes I wonder...

I got a call from Alex this morning, which I missed, but after I called him back he told me the story of his morning at Aroma's coffee shop today. He had gone over to get some coffee I suppose and to take advantage of the free wifi internet. During his internet-cappuccino experience, he met someone. They talked a little bit, and the conversation was pointed in the direction of music. Apparently, this guy has a cousin who is actually in the band "The Wedding", which one of our songs comes from. But, he also found out that this guy actually fund Christian youth bands. Just. Like. CBR. So Alex, having his laptop with him, takes the guy to our myspace (http://www.myspace.com/colorblindred) and shows him "Polarization". If you haven't heard the recording of it, then you should know that it has no vocals, only music. So the guy was really impressed by it, and is very interested in funding us. My question to you is this:

Where in the fock was this guy 2 years ago?!?!

Seriously, there were plenty of times that we needed equipment, shows, etc, and had to have patience until Roger came up with a new show or one of us made enough money to buy what was needed. And, most of the time, we left it to Cornerstone to buy the things we needed. The cymbals on my drumset belong to John Mark, the drum heads were paid for by Cornerstone, Alex's amp was donated by a church member, Luke's amp is actually borrowed from Vian High School and has been for quite some time now. And NOW, when CBR is together for only 3 more weeks (one will even be spent playing at church camp) this guy comes along. Don't get me wrong, I know it's not his fault, and I'm glad that people are still out there willing to help out a great cause such as this, but I just don't understand. God has a reason for everything, and I know that Alex will still be able to use this guy after we're gone if he can find some new musicians, but I just wish I could see the reason why the timing is like this...

Oh well, it's alright. Today, we're planning on practicing at about 4:30, and we plan to record some songs "unprofessionally". In other words, I'm using my laptop and microphone, so we can get some songs down and so this guy can hear some more examples of our style. We'll see how this goes...

Recordo Is A No-Go!

Soooooo....ya know that whole recording thing I mentioned? Ehhh, not happenin' this week. Boo. Apparently Justin, ex-Texhoma drummer, has all of Bobby's microphones that are pretty much necessary for recording. Sadness, pure sadness. Hopefully we'll get to that next week.

But anyway, playing with Bobby at 314 was a success. Which, I suppose, is no surprise. I kinda wish there would have been a few more people there though. Hopefully you guys can help out with that this weekend. Make it happen kids, make it happen. Church camp is two weeks from today, and I expect to have a great time, make that happen also. It really sucked knowing that Bobby wasn't coming when I first found out, but things changed and he's going, so that's just another reason for you to go. Pray for 'ole Bob by the way, he's starting with a new band and needs all the help he can get so that he can someday play for a living...good luck Bob.

Anyway, today I went to Warner with Renee and then spent the rest of the day at her house. We watched a bunch of tv, and ended the night with p'zones at Pizza Hut. Those things, I swear, have got to be a whole new food group. Stay tuned for tomorrow night, Curt and Renee go bowling, I'm sure you just can't wait to hear all about it.

'Til then...go gators, go wolverines, and go find something that's more interesting than reading my blog.

Experience...

I went to Muskogee tonight thinking that I would get to hear Texhoma play, say hi to Bobby, and pretty much just have a good time. I rode in the "testosterone wagon" with Alex, Luke, Brandt, and Travis. I didn't plan on that, but Travis needed a ride and that's how things worked out-5 guys in a 5 person vehicle for about 30 minutes. I got there, and found out that Texhoma wasn't playing. Needless to say, I was pretty bummed out. But then, Bobby showed up, and just like he's done so many times, he made a situation such as this into an opportunity.

Bobby Ross. Asked ColorBlindRed. To Play. At This Show.


Shame on me for even considering not playing. When Bobby first brought
it up to us, we all tried to find reasons why we couldn't, and not why
we could or should. But, we realized it was an opportunity we couldn't
pass on. If I hadn't done it, I would've woken up tomorrow and realized
what a mistake it was. Every time I'd look back on CBR, I'd think of
that moment...and how we could've shown what we had to a different
crowd, but didn't. I'll never have to feel like that, and all thanks go
to Bobby Ross, who more or less carried us to the stage. He told us we
were on second, and that was law.

To all of the other bands there, this was just another show. And, there weren't many people or bands for that matter. But to myself, Alex, and Luke...it was going to be the first time we'd ever been able to present our music, the songs we'd written and wanted to be heard for so long, to a crowd full of people that know what sounds good. For the first time, we were playing for people who came to hear the bands. We weren't playing for people who came for something bigger, and tolerated the music until it was time for the main event. They listened, they judged, while we played three songs. It may have been one of CBR's greatest moments, if not THE greatest. Like I said, there weren't many people there, there wasn't even a big applause for any of the bands. In fact, we may have had the largest applause just because of how many people we brought with us. They clapped for us, but the biggest wave of satisfaction hit me when my musical idol, Bobby Ross, smiled, clapped, and showed his pride for the band he played with so many times, but hadn't heard in over a year. After we had played our set, he told us we should play at more shows with him. It was truly a great feeling. It really wasn't about whether or not everyone was clapping for us. To me, it was about that tall, slender, long blonde-haired musical genius, standing in front of everyone watching us play and showing how much he loved what we were doing.

We didn't cure cancer, we didn't stop global warming, we didn't even play that great, but I felt good tonight. And, I felt good because someone gave me and the band a chance, a chance to show what was in our hearts, and a chance to share with about 35 people what made us happy. And, whether or not they shared in that happiness I may never know. Quite frankly, I don't care much. Because someone there made sure that we knew he shared our happiness, and his was the only opinion I needed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On to other news...After the set, Bobby offered to record us at his house with his equipment. This demo cd will be better than anything I've ever created with my computer and microphone. There's not much you can do with equipment like that. This whole thing starts Monday, if you'd like a copy of the cd after it's finished, just send me an email (swampchomp07@yahoo.com) or call me (918-705-0971).

Also, since Alex won't be able to attend 314 tomorrow, Bobby's filling in for him. So it'll be me, Bobby, and Luke playing at 314 Youth Ministries tomorrow night. It should be a good praise and worship service, Bobby is really good at getting people into the music, which, in turn, enhances the overall praise service. If you've never been and need directions, again, use the means of communication I've given.

Question...

...WHAT THE FOCK AM I STILL DOING UP AT 5AM!?!?!?!?!?

Texhoma, I Still Love You...But Hand Over The Bob!

Last night was pretty sweet. Johnson and I rode with Colton and Shawn to Muskogee where we saw what could have been Texhoma's last show...forever. They lost their bass player, Derick, and were forced to play with a replacement last night. I can't go into detail about why he left, but he did, and that's all you need to know lol. I gotta say, their last show was their very best...even Bobby said it was. The reason this is strange, is that there were hardly any people there. The place they were set to play was changed at the last minute and a bunch of people, I'm guessing, didn't know. The Holy Spirit was so thick in that place when Texhoma played, it was great. We probably should've stretched before the show though, Johnson pulled a groin muscle and our necks are a little sore from headbanging. There is one good thing about Texhoma's breakup though, Bobby is going to church camp.

If Bobby just stood next to the band, even without a guitar, CBR is 10x better...seriously.

Just his presence is enough. Bobby's pretty much my hero when it comes to music. But anyway, I woke up early this morning so I could make a little money helping Mr. Young move out of his house. It was fairly simple. Right now, I'm just a little bored, and I'm waiting for any sign of light from Renee. She might still be asleep. Who knows? I don't wanna call. She could be sleeping. That would wake her up. I'm telling you this, but you really don't care, do you? You read this blog out of your own boredom. But. In. Doing. So. You only become more bored. Now. I'm. Writing. ALL CRAZY. Have been. For a few sentences now. AND. NOW. IT. STOPS.

That's all I got for now, tune in later. Cheers yo...

Don't Drink...

...A Full-Throttle Fury before you go to bed. That, my friends, is just a straight-up no-no.

Thank you, that is all.

Powered by ScribeFire.