Year Of The Blog

I started this blog exactly 1 year ago. I use it like a diary. For the past few months I've been blogging almost everyday. I like being able to put down my thoughts online. It might be something specific or just plain nonsense. It just represents who I am and what I'm thinking. Happy New Year!

New Running Shoes

I ended up buying a pair of new running shoes yesterday. They are Saucony Type A4 sneakers and I just had to get them. The running shoes are so light. I went for a practice run this morning and they felt great. However, I won't be wearing them this Sunday when I run in a Half Marathon. I need a few more training sessions. I'll wear the sneakers I wore last year. I do look forward to using the new sneakers in 2012.

I Want My MP3

So I've joined a couple of sites that allow me to showcase my music. I songs I wrote & recorded were on CD and then transfered onto the comupter. When I tried to put them on the music sites, I was informed that an MP3 player was needed in order to make it work. It's amazing how the technology is these days. People from around the world can read my writings. Yet at times I struggle with the technological aspects of putting things online. When I grow up, I hope to be a computer geek.

Take It From The Top

So often the New Year represents a start to different experiences. I'm sure that will be the case in 2012. Things will be different on a personal & professional level. I'll meet new people and work in new locations. Yet I still have my family & friends who see me through life. Balance of the old and the new.

Play With Words

Good Morning To All Today!

The Bottom Line

It's the end of the year and I'm looking at the results for Pat Irish Company Incorporated LLC. The recession affected us all. Yet we here at PICIL want to keep providing the same great service to all of our customers. That's why we look forward to 2012. The possibilities for profit are there. The mantra here at PICIL is, "We're happy when you're happy!"

Cheers;
Pat Irish
CEO

Counting Down

There are 365 days until Christmas and I'm taking Leap Year into consideration.

Thank You Santa

The Christmas Tradition Continues!

The Front Desk Artwork

A funny happened on the way to putting together the Cardboard Art I was working on yesterday. I ended up creating the artwork for my rock opera THE FRONT DESK. It wasn't my intention to do have that happen, yet there it is. I realize Cardboard Art can be 2 sided. I used 2 pieces of cardboard both around 11" x 14" in size and created color patters on either side of the cardboard. Flip one card around and you have a different image. Pretty neat stuff.

Cardboard Art

While I was cleaning up my bedroom and organizing my artwork yesterday, it hit me to take pieces of color paper and glue them onto sheets of cardboard. I was thinking these would be great props for any live gigs I do next year. Cardboard Art would be light and easy to hang around. I could also take small pieces of Cardboard Art and put them on the tables. It would be neat to take larger pieces of cardboard and creating murals. I then came up with the idea of Bulletin Board Art where I take a large mural and continually glue paper onto it. So many possibilities.

2012 Preview

It's my plan on New Year's Day to run a Half Marathon and then take part in a Jam Session. That would be a great way to start 2012.

Winter Solstice

Today is the Winter Solstice. It is also known as, "The shortest day of the year." After today, the days get a little lighter. Yet around these parts, it doesn't get any warmer. That won't happen for a few more months. It's now officially Winter Training Season. Stretching, running and weights are the workout routine.

All Good Things

It's been a day where I feel a great amount of accomplishment. I'm able to get at all the things I wanted to do. Nice indeed.

Bandcamp & Reverbnation

I signed up for a couple of music related sites over the past few days. One is called Bandcamp and the other is Reverbnation. They allow you to post music you've recorded and put it online. I have several songs I've written on CDs and now I have to transfer them to the MP3 setup. Oh the wonders of technology.

New Workweek

Monday always represents a new workweek. Since there's no rain in the forecast, I'll run later this morning. I didn't run yesterday because my lower back was sore and I felt tired. It was best for me to give it a rest. I did however trained with weights. I went easy with the repetitions though. I feel better today so I'm ready for the busy workweek.

Game Time Decision

It will be a game time decision whether I go out and run today. If I do, then I'll get my 35 miles of running in for the week. It's just that I'm not feeling too good. My body has been aching for the past few days now. I'm just not sure if it's a bug or I'm sore from training? My lower back on right side is sore and I had stomach cramps last night. I'll see how I feel as the day goes on. Sometimes rest is the best answer.

Creative Integrity

Last night I went out a saw a bunch of people I grew up with. The main reason for me being out was that childhood friends of mine were performing music. Pete Nobile, Greg Phillips and Ricky Muscat were jamming and it was a confirmation of the integrity of being creative. These are people who have been playing music of over 3 decades now. I've always gravitated to musicians, artists and actors. The ones who took it seriously all these years are still doing it today. We will always do it because it's as essential to us. Last night only confirms what I've always known to be essential. The mantra is, "Always be creative."

Moving Words

        HERE                      I       AM

THERE       I            GO

12/14/11 Setlist

This is what I performed at Whistling Willie's in Cold Spring, New York last night:

My Boston Girl
Fiddle About
Action Painting

I Just Might

I'm thinking about going to Open Mic Nite this evening. I haven't  gone in several weeks. If I do, then I'll play a couple of songs I haven't done live before. It all depends on how I feel later on today. If I do, Then I'll put up my setlist later.

Black Coffee Cup

I like to have a cup of coffee in the morning. I'm having a cup right now as I'm typing this. The black coffee cup I'm drinking is the subject of my latest still life drawing. I was reading where Impressionist Painters rarely ever used the color black in their paintings. I've noticed in those works of art, dark subjects like a night sky or shaded areas are not colored with black. I thought this would be a fun subject matter to tackle. I went ahead and did color my subject matter black. Unlike my last still life drawing entitled STOOL, I did add shading to this drawing by using gray colors. And the coffee I drew is that of a dark brown, although I like to drink it black. I'll be putting the finishing touches on this drawing I call BLACK COFFEE CUP later today.

The Moon & The Sun

Next week will be the Winter Solstice. It's also known as, "The shortest day of the year." It's just after 6 AM where I am and the moon is setting in the west. Soon the sun will be rising in the east. The skies have been clear so I've been able to see this daily ritual.

By the light of the moon
And the bright beaming sun
Not a moment too soon
So go have some fun.

Unfinished Business

Wow...I have a lot of work to do.

Stool

I'm finishing a still live drawing entitled STOOL. I started it yesterday afternoon. Later on this morning, I plan on putting the final touches to it. This is a big creative breakthrough for me. I've struggled drawing still life and landscapes. It's something I want to do more of. I like the idea of looking at an item and recreating it on paper. It's like being in a photo developing room and seeing the picture appear right in front of you. It doesn't have to be exact, only an impression of what is in front of me. Another approach I have is that of drawing the adjective in front of me and molding it on the paper. When I was a kid in grade school, we would have art classes and they had a pottery wheel in the room. I remember Baby Boom hippies spinning that pottery wheel around and turning a glob of clay into something like a cup. My pencil or marker can mold an item on paper. Or it can develop an image like that of a photo. The still life I've drawn is in the style of Vincent van Gogh. It reminds me of his artwork that is entitled, "van Gogh's Chair and Pipe" and "Gauguin's Armchair." I plan on more still life and landscape drawings in the future.

Nonsense

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John Lennon Remembered

John Lennon was killed 31 years ago today and I remember that night well. It was a Monday evening and I had just arrived home from hanging out with friends. It was right around 11PM. I lived about 50 miles north of New York City and the weather was warm that night. My father was watching Monday Night Football and he said to me that John Lennon had been reported shot. I went into my bedroom and put the radio on wanting to find out more news. I remember putting on WNEW FM which at that time was a rock station. The DJ announced that John Lennon had been murdered and he began to cry. The song he played was LET IT BE. I then turned the dial and it seemed like every station was playing Beatles music. I also remember my sister knocking on my door telling me of the news. I went to bed and fell right asleep. When I woke up, I was hoping it was just a bad dream. But it wasn't. 31 years later, his spirit of peace & love along with his great music lives on. Nothing can kill that. 

The Rhythm Section Part 2

I did make it to Kingston last night and had a great time at the concert. This is a photo of Raissa St. Pierre on drums and Sara Lee on bass. They make a great rhythm section!

The Rhythm Section

I'm planning on going to a concert in Kingston, NY tonight. It features the rhythm section of Raissa St. Pierre on drums and Sara Lee on bass. I've performed live with Raissa before. She is so much fun to jam with. And I've always been a big fan of Sara Lee. She has performed with such groups as GANG OF FOUR and THE B-52s. Sara has quite an impressive musical resume. I've always wanted to meet her and I hope I do tonight. I'm looking forward to it.

20 Years Ago

I bought a diary 20 years ago in order to write about the things going on in my life. I always made sure to put an entry in over the course of the day. In many ways, my blog is more like a diary than anything else. Yet I don't put as much detail to the mundane issues of the day like I used to. Also, I might not write something on the blog every single day. It's easy for me to find myself away from the computer. 20 years ago, I didn't have access to all of the social media outlets going on now. I've heard the term narcissism to describe people who seem to put everything about themselves and want to give their opinions on things all of the time. I'll put it on my blog. Dear Diary...

35 More Miles

I just finished my Sunday Run. It was sunny and cold outside. The weather conditions were really nice though. The frost on the ground with the bright sunrise shining on it was very pretty. I ran 35 miles this week. My exercise training is going good. I plan on doing my Monday Run tomorrow. This way, I will stay on my training schedule for the upcoming week. KEEP ON TRUCKIN' 

Drawing & Writing

I'm writing more songs and drawing more pictures. I thought I'd let you know. Thanks.

Weekend Run

The weather is supposed to be sunny & dry all weekend. This will give me a chance to run without getting wet from any rain. I have particular routes I run over the weekend. I go in one direction on Saturday and another direction on Sunday. Both add up to 7 miles in distance. With these 2 training runs, I will have 35 miles of running under my feet this week. I call this, "My Winter Training." I don't think I'll be running any races for the next few months though. I don't like the cold weather. Yet I plan to keep on training for the upcoming year. And I do it most of all to try and stay healthy. It is an important part of my life. The sun is rising and sometimes the most difficult part of the training is just putting the exercise clothes on. Now that I've had breakfast, I'm ready to go.

Bass Buddy

The bass guitar has been my primary instrument for 34 years. On Christmas of 1977, when I was 14-years-old, my parents put a picture of a bass guitar in my stocking and told me they would buy me one when they had more money. About a month later, I owned a Guild B-301 bass guitar. I'm left handed and the music store I bought it from only had right handed bass guitars. So we had the strings put on backwards and it has remained that way ever since. I still practice and compose music on my Guild. What a great friend!

Testing 1 - 2 - 3

I tested out my new PA System this afternoon and I'm very happy with it. The vocals sounded quite strong. I also put the bass guitar through the PA too. I really didn't push the levels high on it today. I'm thinking that at most gigs I'll bring the bass rig. I know I can really fill out the sound. If I want to travel light, then I can always put the bass through the PA. I'm so glad I have it. Now it's time to book some shows.

My Favorite Concerts

Here is a list of some of my favorite concerts. These were fun gigs!

1976 - Big Tom @ The Ballroom in Clairemorris, Ireland
1978 - Yes @ Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
1979 - The Who @ Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
1980 - Pink Floyd @ Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY
1980 - Grateful Dead @ Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY
1980 - Frank Zappa @ The Palladium in New York, NY
1981 - Santana @ Westchester Premiere Theater in Tarrytown, NY
1982 - Iggy Pop @ The Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY
1982 - Return To Forever @ The Palladium in New York, NY
1983 - David Bowie @ Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
2009 - Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band @ Gilman Theatre in Brooklyn, NY

The Magic Of Music

Music has always been in my life. My first memories are that of listening to 45-rpm records on my phonograph. I use to get them from my grandfather's juke box. He owned a bar and when they replaced the records he would give them to me. It was quite an education. The music spanned from the 1950's & 1960's. It encompassed much of the popular music of the post World War II era. It was magic to me! Music has always been the driving force in my life and will continue to be so. It takes me everywhere.