Never Say Never...Never...

    Something really weird has been happening to my mind. And it has to do with Justin Bieber...weird.

    Last Night my wife took me on a surprise date. She even wrote me a cute little love note. It was cool, and because I have been so busy with Milk N' Honey and recording and what not, I haven't really been able to spend some quality time with her. So I was excited. First we went and ate at the Pizza Pie Cafe, tried to down a cookie monster, then went to pond skimming, then walked around the MC for awhile, looking at the little exhibit the school has about the history of Ricks.
    Then she took me to the Edwards Theatre down in Idaho Falls and what did she take me to see? That's right, the Justin Bieber Movie. Going into it, I had the mindset of it being hilariously cheesy and just like one of those TERRIBLE Hillary Duff movies or Miley Cyrus weaklings. I also thought it would be an overload of tweenage girls screaming at the top of their lungs, completely blinded by the naivete they are showing for an obviously processed teen idol who will be as popular next year as Furbys are now.
    But something really wierd happened... like, the movie was actually pretty sweet. And that's what totally threw me off. Now apparently Nathalie and I got the special treat of seeing the 40-minutes-of-extras-Director's-Fan-Cut version of the film, and it was in 3D (I'd never seen a 3D-er yet either). But it was a cool flick.
    First of all, it was a total documentary with some okay visuals and legit emotions. Plus, there was no Mop-haired kid constantly being interviewed and saying, "Ya, I love my mom. I love all my fans. Baby Baby OO!" In fact, the kid wasn't even interviewed once. The film os more about the story. Its more about the people behind the scenes.
    But back to the weirdness--I feel at a really weird impass: "How do I say that I liked the film and therefore kind of like Justin Bieber without doing violence to my intellect?" I don't care for his music, I think he has a lot of potential and individuality and so I'd be surprised if he always made Disney-esque hits. I don't know what to do, but all I can say is, you should see the show. Its sick.

-Austin

ps- Look for Kickstarter for "A" album artwork next week.

pps- Bieber inspired me to start a twitter

The Age of Adz

 So, on Tuesday, I woke up with a feeling of sadness. I wasn't angry (definately not angry) but I was kind of, just not feeling the greatest. I got up, did my stretching, and started on my run. About a half mile down my route, it dawned on me: "You can download the new Sufjan Stevens record today!" HALLELUJIAH!! For those of you who don't know, Sufjan Stevens is one of my favorite musicians ever. He's done a lot of amazing stuff, and its almost a limiting thing to try and define how good he is, so I won't.
 Anyways. So I get home from my run and go straight to my computer. Now, I feel an extreme duty to make sure that I buy the records I listen to. Its important to me as an artist that I pay for other artists hard work, knowing myself a bit of the frustration that can come from working out a record. So when I say "download", I don't mean that I jumped onto Limewire and started searching for it. And honestly I wouldn't have found it, because it's not due to be out until the 12th of October. So why did I say I could download it?
 Well, that's because I pre-ordered it :) If you go to the Asthamatic Kitty website, Stevens' record label, you can pre-order the record and get a passcode to let you download it today :)
 So I downloaded it on my downstairs computer, put it in my Dropbox App, and then opened up the file on my computer upstairs. Burned it straight to a CD, and listened to it on my way to work!
 What's my impressions? Really happy, then not as happy, then okay, then reconciled a little bit. You'll hear it when it comes out, or you can pre-order it and hear it today!
 You can catch a listen of my favorite track below. I love this track, its one of the gems from the record. (WARNING: Those of you who know and love Sufjan, you will be weirded out at first. Give this track a couple listens and you'll hear the goof ol' Sufy thru and thru.)

ENJOY

What is it

about terribly well-known bands with terribly composed music that draws so many people to listen to their music? This isn't a rant about how I wish more people would look at me. Seriously, my music and what I do is so inferior to lots of amazing music being made right now. But honestly, to me most every new big band sounds the same. Its a huge socialogical problem to me, that many have depended on others to define their likes and dislikes, their standards (or lack there-of), and their hopes and desires.
  So what sparked this post? This:

I just really don't get how this music sparks any kind of imagination. I respect whoever the man is in this video for having the drive to make his life as a full-time musician a reality, I just am sad that many have just followed this guy, because they're caught up everyone else following him. When anyone appears on a major media provider (MTV, VH1, Yahoo.com, MSN. com, Youtube.com) I feel like people automatically associate exposure with something being good. Cussing has never been good, just because its everywhere doesn't mean you should do it. Splitting up families has never been a good idea, just because celebrities feel its liberating.
  Maybe I'm just too angry at the world right now, I guess this was kind of angry, but I really meant it to be more disheartening :) <-----smiley? (sometimes I can't help being happy anyways ha)
  I can see why there is such a big movement in independent music. More and more people are dissatisfied with what's being thrown at them. I like this movement, its almost like a Renaissance.
-Austin

Mo Je La Bo

  It means this food is good in Creole. Or something close to that haha. I've been realizing today the need to really feed my mind and my spirit. Its important to be fed secularly and spiritually. Both are vital and you can't totally be happy in this life without either. Not to mention that they are both fed by each other. Have you ever tried to study the scriptures in the morning, felt really good, and that helped you at school? Or have you ever listened to a really happy song that helped you feel one with God and prepared to hear what he had to say? See, they're both closely related.
   So music, its an important part of my life. The other day I bought two records for $9.99 each at Target: Vampire Weekend's Contra and the Jackson 5's Greatest Hits. They both make me very happy. I really enjoy music as long as it is original, inventive, and clean. And both of these albums are. They make you feel better. Check the videos below:

"A"

For the past four years (with a giant two year missionary gap) I have been writing and recording music for what will culminate this year in "A", my first record. Its been a long time coming but things are just shaping up, just a few more violins and vocals, some tuning up in the computer and we'll be set to go. I'd like to do some shows and maybe get it officially released on CD and Vinyl (and maybe tape :)

It was kind of weird how it all just came together, one song after the other. Thru-out the record there is a semi theme of America. It turned out well. And after seeing how many songs start with the letter 'a' (5 of them) and my name starts with 'a', and so does America, I just decided to call it "A".

Embedded in the big "A" up top is a song called Amelia Earhart which virtually no one has heard except Nathalie and Cameron and Emily. Just click on the big "A" to hear what I've been doing :)

Mwen Ren Men Ou
- Austin

Loyalty

   There is something I seem to do very often: dedicate myself to something that I imagine will happen. I align my hopes and actions with things that I believe so much will happen that I act as if it already has. Many of my close friends and especially my family have seen this in me and have expressed their concern about its possible injurious outcomes. In effect: Sometimes I'm too loyal.
   Can anyone ever be too loyal? Can that ever be bad? Usually, to tell you the truth no. At least not with me. Usually my wish never comes to fruition and I can almost always see the writing on the wall, so no one's feelings get hurt...except mine usually.
   Early in my mission I was always looking for the miracles to just...come. But I learned that they only come once we work hard and have faith in Jesus Christ. They do come, but they don't just appear out of thin air. Grace is a free gift if we ask for and use it. It seems that with miracles, and our wishes (which in a sense could also be termed miracles) we have to almost have the attitude that we work with the mindset that our won't happen, but we do the work anyways. It has been on my mind for a long time, even since I was 15 and 16 that if we trust in God and ourselves so much that we care not what happens, miracles happen. Sometimes the most indirect path leads straighter.

Ya ya ya!

  For those of you who know me intimately you know that when I say "Ya ya ya!" it is usually in a high pitched excited kind of voice.
  So I'm starting this blog. There's something kind of scary about opening your brain up and having any of your friends (or others) look uncensored-like into your thoughts and actions. I think that's part of the reason why I feel I could never twitter: its just too personal and familiar to me. Anyways, so this is the beginning of my life and habits. Mostly I believe this will turn into a semi-weekly update of my music ventures and how recording is going for the record. But there will inevitably be random fun things I love and serious insights on cool stuff like religion and art and the general welfare.

Hope all is well.
-Austin