Just to be Free Video

Lyrics, song download and more coming soon. In the meantime, tell me what you think!

Out of the Kiln

Hey look up! You can buy this song if you want to! Yay!

I think I can do even better, but I am really pleased with my first new song and video. This was shot and recorded simultaneously in my new studio (aka spare bedroom). I really like the style of this video. I am going to challenge myself to do a similar style for the next song. I also am really pleased with the quality of the recording. Especially considering that I shot this all live, and didn't retouch or re-record anything. Oh, and the tapping you hear, is me tapping the wood on the guitar in between strums.

Out of the Kiln

Verse
Your hands are Gods;
Your eyes are like knives.
The hope in our deaths,
Is a means to our lives.

Pillars of stone
To hold up these walls.
The keystone removed,
And in the absence we fall.

Chorus
Cold as the clay that we're made from it's true.
Pulled from the fire, and laid next to you.
We cool as we bake in the waning of time.
If your heart is yours, it can never be mine.

Verse
The back of your neck:
The hair stands on end.
The castle's a wreck,
But still we defend.

Chorus
Cold as the clay that we're made from it's true.
Pulled from the fire, and laid next to you.
We cool as we bake in the waning of time.
If your heart is yours, it can never be mine.

Outro (not recorded here)
The mold you were made from is the same one as me.
Our roads both begin and they end where we meet.
The mold you were made from is the same one as me.
Our roads both begin and they end where we meet.

My... I have been a busy boy.

I have two new blogs/sites I am now maintaining.

Red Fish Blue Design is a freelance venture I manage with my good friend Clinton George.

Out-of-Plumb.com is a monthly cartoon published for the surveying community. I'm the creator and illustrator behind this as well.

These sites of mine are gaining popularity, so I moved them into a blog format so I can more easily update, integrate, etc. Plus, it allows comments and creates more interactivity between me and my visitors. Check them out when you get the chance. It took a lot of work.

New song coming very soon, its been too long. I'm sorry. I'm still editing the video, and trying to make it so you can actually purchase this one if you like it. So hang in there. Its coming this week!

Easter came and went.

I had my family over to my house for a little Easter get together... three days before Easter. We all have crazy schedules, but it was nice to get everybody together. I made sandwiches (fifteen too many apparently) and bought cupcakes. We hid eggs and the kids played. Good times.


The show on Saturday night went very well. For any that came out, or couldn't but still wished me well, thank you very much. Whew, it was a long time to play though. I am lucky I could still talk, much less sing by the time it was over. I played about 40 songs or so, of course some of those were repeats. I will have some video for you later this week.

Blogging has been harder here lately. I have a feeling it has met its match with micro-blogging... ie twitter and facebook. What are we headed towards in terms of communication as a whole? Texting, twittering, communicating with each other instaneously in 140 characters or less. Is this a step in a good direction, or a bad one? I myself don't know yet. I see the pros and the cons.

I just signed on to do about 35 illustrations for a historical fiction novel. So, I will have to shift a lot of my creative focus from my music to my art. I picture my creativity as a giant light in a tower. It takes a lot of work to move from one part of the sky to the other. Usually once I move it, it has to stay at one spot for a while. The beam is not bright enough to illuminate all of the sky all at once. If I try moving it all over the place, from writing, to music, to design, to illustrating, it kind of hurts... literally.

Progress

Last week I blogged about the steps I am taking for my music and website. I can report back that I have made some progress on my mini-studio. Nathan and I were able to install my green screen. And we even did a quick test, with me shrinking him from 6 ft 5 to a lil under 4 ft tall.



I have another show coming up this weekend for any locals following. I will be playing at the Courthouse Cafe from 8 to 12pm this Saturday night. I am going to try to grab some video from the show to share on my site. I have engineered a very interesting drum set; it allows me to play standing up. How fun.

My Engagement pictures

Step 1:
Find a picture on google images by searching: engagement pic.

Step 2:
Snap a picture of myself in order to place myself in the picture.

Step 3:
Do a little Photoshop magic: convert image to black and white so that it is easier to match skin tone, put my head in place of the other guy's, take out original logo and add in my friend Stephanie Simpson's logo. Viola!

Step 4:
Email my friend Stephanie and tell her about my diabolical plan; send the picture as an attachment. She does a blog post about it on her wedding and engagement photo blog.

Step 5:
Update my myspace and facebook so that appears that I have recently been engaged.

Step 6:
April Fools!

Blog Agenda

I've got a new plan for my blog, I'm getting closer to my original vision. Some of you may be aware of Jonathan Coulton. Shortly after I started my blog a friend of mine told me about what he had started. He would write and record a song each week of the year. I believe he called it 'The Thing of the Week.' Instead of a live video version, he presents his in mp3 version. He does a good job at recording and mixing it all himself. You can check him out at www.jonathancoulton.com.

Inspired by this, I have tried writing a new song each week. So far I have missed a few weeks here and there, but overall I am not as intimidated about producing a song each week. I am slowly training myself to be able to write on command. That is something at one point I thought was impossible, it use to seem to me that I had to be inspired in order to write.

While all that is good for me, I really want to give something to my potential fans. Additionally I would like to present myself and my songs in a more professional manner. So... here is the plan:

1. Going to convert my music room into both a small studio for film and audio. I have everything I need already (even including the green screen backdrop) I just have to put all the pieces together.
2. Going to do a better job with the visuals: better backdrop image, better lighting, etc.
3. Going to have a higher quality audio by recording my instruments onto recording software, as opposed to just getting the audio from the video camera.
4. From time to time I will have Jimmy (aka the singing baptist) and his cello play live with me, and other musicians.
5. The end result will be a much better looking and sounding video. Additionally, I will offer up the audio from the live songs as downloadable mp3's. Some of them will be free, and some you will have to pay for.

I really like this concept a lot, and it is where I would like to be professionally in this industry. I can continue to bring fans new online live shows each month, and I would constantly have new songs coming up. It would play into my strengths based on my lifestyle and talents. What do you guys think about this plan?

Live in the Lyrics

I wrote a poem this morning. I thought I would share it. It sounds like most of my other poetry, but at least I am consistent. The best way to market the redundancy in my writing is by calling it 'my style.' It's all about branding :)

Live in the Lyrics

we live in the lyrics
breathe in the midst of
a memory
become more than we
could ever be
our epitaph
written before we
were born

the eulogy of
our clandestine love
spoken in the absence of
your touch
and in the presence of
my lust

I am the mire of your disgust
made from flesh you can not trust
you fling me over every rail
and if passion won't prevail
if what I cleave to only busts

I'll only fall until I'm dust
I'll only grow when I can tell
the shadows from the light
the truth in all my lies
the face beyond the veil

Seven Nation Army

My video this week is a cover song, here is Jimmy and I doing our version of White Stripes' Seven Nation Army live for some of Jimmy's students. Not too many songs out there played with just cello and drums. Enjoy.

A Messy Room and a Missing Juice Cup

It has been way too long since I have blogged about my little angels. I know a lot of you find their stories absolutely adorable. Since you are not lucky enough to experience them on a daily basis like me, I should be a better friend to my blog readers and keep you up to date with their journeys.

I have two stories for you today. The first is a picture that illustrates though they are the cutest things in the world, they also can destroy like little midget godzillas. The picture below is what their room looked like after I ate breakfast, took a shower, and got ready. Keep in mind their room was perfectly clean the night before, and the amount of time they did this in was approximately 20 minutes.


Wow! Right? Is it like this with little boys?

My second story is very sweet. I need to tell you some back story about Ms. Ava before I tell you the next story. Ava is very simple to take care of, she is more like a cat than like a dog if you will. She doesn't require a lot of attention, she just likes doing her own thing, but the one thing she must always have is her juice cup. If she plays in her room then it will be in there with her, when she sleeps at night it stays on her nightstand. If she is in the car it is sitting in her lap. Think of it as her version of Lionus's blanket.

I think it was about 9:30 at night, Ava had been asleep for about an hour when she burst into my room balling her little eyes out. She had a dream that someone had stolen her juice cup. As sweet as this was, and as comforting as I had to be, it was one of those moments when I just couldn't help but laugh to myself. Most kid's nightmares consist of big dogs, monsters, dragons, etc, but for Ava the scariest thing anyone can do is take her juice cup.

Love in a Box

Quite a different style than my usual, this is a song that I have been singing in my head for years but just this week finally added some music to the melody. I like a lot of the phrases in the song, I appreciate them because I couldn't have written this song now; I would have tried to make it too deep.

Love in a Box

Verse
If you put your life on the ground,
It may not be there when you turn around.
If you put your love in a box,
You might not remember how to open the lock.

Chorus
Tic toc time moves in slow emotion.
This time I'm going to find my own commotion.
Shake of the sleep; get to your feet.
Stop making excuses for why you can't dance with me.

Verse
If you pin your luck to the wall,
There's no sense in crying when you're watching it fall.
If you put your life in her hands,
There's nothing to stop her from making her own demands.

Chorus
Tic toc time moves in slow emotion.
This time I'm going to find my own commotion.
Shake of the sleep; get to your feet.
Stop making excuses for why you can't dance with me.

Bridge
I don't know why you can't see it;
Why you won't let yourself believe it.
Only you can make your life better, baby
And maybe just a little bit of me.

Verse
If you put your hope on the line,
It's going to hurt you almost every time.
I know you put your faith in a lie,
You just want someone to hold you while they're watching you cry.

Chorus
Tic toc time moves in slow emotion.
This time I'm going to find my own commotion.
Shake of the sleep; get to your feet.
Stop making excuses for why you can't dance with me.

Updated! You can now purchase this song below.

Douche-bag Ex-boyfriend Video

I cloned myself in order to give everyone a live viewing of my song 'Douche-bag Ex-boyfriend.' It was nice taking a break from the serious songs I write in order to do this song. Additionally it was pretty fun coming up with a way that two 'Chases' could perform it. I altered my words just a little bit from the previous post when I first wrote the song, so I have the new lyrics at the bottom. The second 'Chase' singing parts are in red.

Douche-bag Ex-Boyfriend

Verse
Yeah he calls you a whore,
Even though you made his last truck payment.
He has a goatee the size and shape
of a small Arab country.
He cuts the sleeves off all of his t-shirts.
To try to make them look cool but they are really lame.

He hasn't had a job in three months,
But he does some construction on the side.
That's a lie, he's been getting high.
He has a back full of hair;
You won't admit that he's fat.
And nobody talks about his daddy like that!

Chorus
If you have a douche bag ex-boyfriend,
Douchie, douchie, guy's a really douche.
Then we won't be able to date.
No dating with this guy here.
Let me save you the trouble
By calling this off early,
'Cause you'll probably just go back to him anyways.

Verse
He uses his kid against you.
Tries to make you feel guilty.
He loves putting down your favorite shows.
They're pretty lame but that's still pretty mean.
He has a tattoo in old English.
He f-ing loves pit bulls.
And he sends you 2,000 texts in a day.
Remember the part about not having a job.

He hates your best friend Amy.
He steals money from his mom.
He wears a cross around his neck,
But never goes to church.
And nobody tells him what to do when he's at work!

Chorus
If you have a douche bag ex-boyfriend,
Douchie, douchie, guy's a really douche.
Then we won't be able to date.
No getting in this guy's pants.
Let me save you the trouble
By calling this off early,
'Cause you'll probably just go back to him anyways.

Outro
Reason one:
He'll try to beat me up.
Reason two:
He'll try to hurt himself and call you
Then you'll feel sorry for him
And you'll have sex again.

Reason three:
He'll say that I've been talking shit,
But I don't even know what that is.
Reason four:
It'll make me feel so small
When you chose him
Over me after all.

Updated! You can now purchase this song below.

In Transit

This is a very honest and personal song for me. It is soft and simple. If I were ever to do a music video I think I would film me driving and singing this song, and that would be it. It would be as simple as the song, and visually connect with the theme of being 'in transit.' A lot of my songs use the metaphors that we all recognize from southern rock ballads: 'moving on down the road.' In my own way, I am a modern day southern rocker and I am not sure why I gravitate to that theme. It's in my blood.

I am always very indifferent to songs when I first write them. The same is true with this song. That is why I utilize my friends and my blog as sounding boards. It is not until other people experience the songs that I start to draw my own conclusions about them. So as always, all feedback is welcome. Additionally, the comments on my songs in previous posts have been really good and insightful, and for those that have posted comments I really appreciate your thoughts and I take them to heart. Oh yeah, and I don't know why I sat so stiff for this song, its funny, a juxtaposition to the meaning of the song.

In Transit

Verse
With one hand untie the two.
Set my feet, and dive in you.
I fall.
Explored you all.

Build the trust and kiss your face.
Arm yourself for one more taste
Of what
Will soon be gone.

Prechorus
Don't let me sink my teeth in you.
Don't let my eyes bore holes right through.

Chorus
In transit always.
In transit always.
I am the highway
Carrying you.
You can't stay.

Verse
A subtle touch, a seamless plan.
A slight misstep, I miss your hand
And fall.
A graceless cause.

You can't want me when I want you.
What I want is what I soon
Will miss.
Fate or bliss?

Prechorus
Don't let yourself get used to me.
Prepare yourself for what used to be.

Chorus
In transit always.
In transit always.
I am the highway
Carrying you.
You can't stay.

Bridge
A launching pad, or a place of rest;
Your journey doesn't end with me.
I will set you free.
I will set you free.

Chorus
In transit always.
In transit always.
I am the highway
Carrying you.
You can't stay.
Carrying you.
You can't stay.

Jitzul

Hello again blog fans! I did an interview with Jitzul.com. Check it out: My Interview.

For anybody coming to my site from Jitzul for the first time, I apologize it is under construction at the moment. There is, however, a lot of content on my blog, myspace, and youtube channel for you to enjoy.

A Little Break

I'm going to take a break from blogging for a while. I've been pretty hard at it for the last couple months, but I have a lot of other pressing (and non-pressing) issues that have to take precedence. If this is your first time visiting my blog, there are plenty of videos and posts to check out. For the people that follow me daily, I leave you with this: a video of me making a fool of myself. Hopefully I will be back in blogging spirits soon.

Douche bag Ex-Boyfriend

Haha, this was fun for me. I have the music done as well, but probably won't have the chance to post the music right now. Thanks to Jimmy and Nathan for helping with this. I think there are a lot of women and men that can relate to this.

Douche bag Ex-Boyfriend

Verse
So he calls you a whore,
Even though you made his last truck payment.
He has a goatee the size and shape
of a small Arab country.
He cuts the sleeves off all of his t-shirts.

He hasn't had a job in three months,
But he does some construction on the side.
But all the money he makes
He uses for getting high,
Or for fixing up the system in his 'ride.'

PreChorus
His back is full of hair;
You won't admit that he's fat.
And nobody talks about his daddy like that!

Chorus
If you have a douche bag ex-boyfriend,
Then we won't be able to date.
Let me save you the trouble
By calling this off early,
'Cause you'll probably just go back to him anyways.

Verse
He uses his kid against you.
He likes cutting down all your shows.
He has a tattoo in old English.
He f-ing loves pit bulls.
And he sends you 20,000 texts in a day.

He hates your best friend Amy.
He steals money from his mom.
When you broke up the last time
He stalked you for two weeks
And punched a hole in your bathroom door.

PreChorus
He wears a cross around his neck,
But never goes to church.
And nobody's going to tell him what to do when he's at work!

Chorus
If you have a douche bag ex-boyfriend,
Then we wont be able to date.
Let me save you the trouble
By calling this off early,
'Cause you'll probably just go back to him anyways.

Outro

(A few more reasons for not dating you if you have a douche-bag ex-boyfriend)

Reason one:
He'll try to beat me up.
Reason two:
He'll try to hurt himself and call you
Then you'll feel sorry for him
And you'll have sex again.

Reason three:
He'll say that I've been talking shit,
But I don't even know what that is.
Reason four:
It'll make me feel so small
When you chose him
Over me after all.

So I'm not unbreakable? Drat!

This is Chase inserting his foot in his mouth. "I never get sick, I have a great immune system, blah blah, blah." Now tell that to your ceiling as it is about the only thing you have looked at the past three days as you have laid in your bed, what could have well been your death bed.

Whew, in case you haven't figured it out, I haven't posted in a while... reason: I have been sick. I usually get bored listening to people tell me how they are sick, its not that I don't care about them or feel bad, its just kind of like small talk. So I will give you the more colorful explanation of my pain as I described to one of my friends. This is a thought that ran through my head in the midst of my sickness:

"This must be what it feels like to turn into a werewolf. To have your entire DNA and physical makeup transform altogether into something else. Something evil... and painful... and wretched."

Haha, I'm weird I know, but keep in mind I was a little delusional at this point, and to me this made a lot of sense.

"What did you have, a cold?"
"No, I almost turned into a werewolf."

Good thing was, I was able to come out of the sickness long enough to do my show and it went very good. Gave me back some confidence in my performing abilities, and restored my love for performing all together. You see for people that don't know being a good songwriter and being a good performer are as different as say um, being a good farmer and being a good chef. Sure there are things that are relatable, but a completely different set of skills are required. I am getting better at both, and doing both more make me grow as a musician, artist, and performer. It was very fun and I thank everyone that was able to come.

I am in the process of writing my 'Song of the Week' still. Even though I am busier than I one legged man in an ass-kicking contest from being out of work so long. But in light of all this, the song of the week is going to be funny, not serious. I need a break from that for a while. And what with the economy and the wars and the sickness going around, you guys do too.

First Star on the Right

This isn't the best vocal performance I've ever done, for sure, but after being sick last week, and still sick this week. I decided to video post based on the good response I got from the words posted last week. For those of you who did not read last week's entry, I wrote this song for one of my favorite shows: 'Lost.' I kept the vocals and guitar strum in the verse softer and more dreamy, than I usually do, this helps contrast the chorus and speaks to the mysterious elements of the show as well.

Lyrics

Musical Status

A quick update on what I am doing musically. My goals for January were not quite met, but I did accomplish the following:

• Played two venues
• Recorded one song
• Maintained my blog and wrote some new songs
  
• 90% Finished with my website (have a good friend writing some more professional text as we speak)
  
• Created fan pages on myspace and facebook (with the help of Lindsey)
  
• Taken some promotional photos (with the help of Stephanie
  

I'm not going to play out a whole lot until I finish recording two more songs. That way I can use the songs to get into more venues, try and get them into some soundtracks, and have a small single I can sell at shows.

By the way, for any local blog followers: I will be playing with Jimmy (the guy you see pop in my videos from time to time) at the Courthouse Cafe on the square in Shelbyville this Saturday from 7 to 10 PM. If you are looking for something a little different to do this weekend you should drop by and listen. It should be a very laid-back, mellow time. We are playing acoustically, with minimal percussion, and the place seems like it will have a very complimentary atmosphere.

Stifled

I finished my 'Song of the week' last week, so in a lot of ways I was ahead of the game. For the the words, I decided to be inspired by my favorite show: 'Lost.' The idea is that if Lost was a movie, this song could be on the soundtrack.

So, I sit down to record my song and half way through it my 'A' string breaks. Drat.

Yesterday at lunch I get my guitar re-strung, now flash forward to last night after Lost. I pull out the guitar, go to sing, and... my voice is cracking and I am slowly losing it. I had been coughing all day, and by the end of the night I could barely talk, much less sing.

Because of breaking guitar strings and faulty vocal chords, my song will have to be words only this week. I will try to get the recorded version very soon.

First Star on the Right

Verse
Time and the space in between.
My eyes and what I've never seen.
A cold conclusion it seems:
To wait.

Home is such a long way away,
Years or even miles into space.
Your hand is a warmth on my face;
It can stay.

Chorus
Carry me,
Take me back home.
First star on the right
And strait on 'till dawn.
Carry me,
Take me back.

Verse
It's odd, it seems out of place.
The stars, the moon, and its face
Appear and in an instant erased
By the clouds

Holes for what use to be eyes.
Bright and inadmissible light.
Confused by the language of lies,
I survive.

Chorus
Carry me,
Take me back home.
First star on the right
And strait on 'till dawn.
Carry me,
Take me back.

Bridge
There's bound to be something I've missed.
Didn't think it would come to this.
There's no way to leave it as-is.

Outro
Carry me,
Take me back.
Carry me, we
Have to go back.
Carry me home.