Ischia

Lately I have been feeling pull more and more toward European ethnic music. Emily and I have been wanting to relocate to the Island of Ischia ever since we visited. Ischia is an island out in the Mediterranean Sea about an hour and a half of the port of Naples, Italy. I making a commitment to recording music reminiscent of the areas in Western Europe we visited for a while. I am dropping the same old depressed American music that I have been trying to write and I am trading it for the fun, light-hearted yet moving sounds from across the pond.

I know a lot of people will think that I am trying to be something I am not. But frankly, I don't care. I don't make music so other people can give me praise or criticism. I make music because it is something that God put in my heart to do. I make music because I love it.

On a weirder note. I had put an ad up on craigslist looking for other musicians. A certain gentleman got ahold of me and said he was a sound engineer, and producer but wanted to make some music anyway... Meth is a hell of a drug. This guy was no sound engineer, nor producer. He was a cracked, cussing, shaking mess. He hadn't showered in days. and he was missing teeth. He couldn't not play the simplest scales for the life of him. He said that he liked playing music with me and that he wanted to start a "southern rock band." What caught my interest was that he said he wanted to trade his Fender Rhodes 88 for my xylophone! My xylophone!!! I went to go check out this rhodes piano... it was completely gutted and pieced together in the typical meth-head fashion. Pieces were missing, keys were dead. ALL electronics gone. Smelled like ammonia and sudafed. All logos were broken off. The top was missing. But sure enough it was a Fender Rhodes 88 key Electric Piano. I am still contemplating whether or not it would be a good move to trade him. After all those things in good shape are worth well over $2000.

Chris.