The Search For Perfection, and Musing Thereof

I’ve been kicking around these thoughts for a while, and my hope is that, by writing them out, I’ll be able to crystallize them a bit.  One of my Berklee professors said that we write songs to learn about the subject we choose to write about.  That’s paraphrased, of course, but I don’t feel like digging out my notes. 

Songwriting—The Importance of Rhyming Words

I was listening to my ipod over the weekend, while driving to a gig, and I heard two songs in the same drive that brought a point that had never before occurred to me into stark relief. [Note: what follows is a somewhat esoteric discussion about an intricacy of songwriting. It’s probably of interest only to those who write songs.] That point was this: I may be focusing too much lyrical attention on my rhyming words.

JT Joins Blue Microphone Family

So, one of my goals for 2010 has been to secure an endorsement, which, for those who don’t know, is basically an agreement between artist and company that the artist will use the company’s products/services in exchange for promoting them to their fanbase. Anyway, I got an opportunity to partner up with Blue Microphones, and I’m happy to say I jumped on it.

JT on flying with a guitar

Last week I flew out to the East Coast to do a few shows in NYC and CT. On the return flight, I got into a long talk with another passenger about the logistics of flying with a guitar. Whether or not it could be carried on, how I get it past the gate agents, etc. So after giving him all my tips and tricks, I thought they might be of general interest. The quick overview is this: play dumb, ask nicely, and beg. All of the specific tips come from those three principles.

Random Musings pt. 1

I don’t know who Jon and Kate are, but I feel certain if they both spontaneously caught fire…

My campaign against pennies — update

More than two years ago, I wrote a blog here about a campaign I was launching against pennies.

I laid out my arguments against them (both rational and irrational) in a most compelling fashion. Now, in the intervening time I’ve done a little preaching against pennies when the opportunity arises. But, mainly, my campaign consists of a

Why must thermodynamics stand in opposition to my invention of air-conditioned boxers?

It’s been several years since I came up with the idea for temperature-controlled undergarments. Anyone who’s ever spent time in Louisiana in the summer will immediately see the appeal of such a thing, and any time I’ve mentioned this idea it’s been met with varying levels of ecstasy and gratitude.

The most common response is:

Gasoline Boycott Idiocy

Some of you may have gotten an email recently about not buying gas on May 15th. Here’s the body of the email: Don’t pump gas on MAY 15th In April 1997, there was a “gas out” conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight. On May 15th 2007, all internet users are to not go to a gas station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in most places. There are 73,000,000+ American members currently on the internet network, and the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up. If all users did not go to the pump on…

I hate announcers

It can’t be that difficult to call a football game or a highlight without being a jackass. In fact, here are my 4 steps to not sucking (pay attention, Bradshaw): 1) Play to your strengths. If you’re an ex-player or coach, then your strength is inside information and educated analysis. You’re not a freaking comedian, no matter what that pack of yes-men at the network tell you about the sitcom where you play the quirky father that’s in development. It ain’t happening. Tell me something I don’t know, and be brief. 2) Be a team player. In other words, let the other guys play to their strengths. If you’re the play-by-play guy, kick it to…

Yardwork, how do I hate thee.

Let me count the ways. Now, I have more than a passing familiarity with yardwork. As an indentured servant, er, child, I was routinely pressed into service for some form of manual labor, aka yardwork. I weeded, I chopped and stacked, I cut grass and weedeated (which is a totally different activity from ‘weeding’), I planted, I dug, and, when I was done, I swept the driveway. I’m not entirely sure why, but, much like eating that last chip before you close the bag, I always had to sweep the driveway before calling it quits. So believe me when I say that there’s no activity that I like less and do more than yardwork. Now…