gogonutz' little b(l)urps

Inner Ear

2007-10-25T23:40:07Z

We recently relaunched my music website "Inner Ear".

The interviews are coming in with bushes. Some really great ones have been posted. (Personally, I love the Alphaspin, Joe Hedges, & Dakota Fate one), but all the others are really very cool too.

go to http://innerear.notlong.com and check it out.

PS. there's some cool reviews posted too

Some new poetry

2007-09-06T18:00:04Z

Sad Songs

Koen Maas

...as the mockingbird touches down
and the wolves cry to the moon,
destiny is far from found
and misery always comes too soon
it'll take another 100 years until the circle is round...

Early Life

Crawling around

Discovering

No one understands you

No matter how hard you try.

You get the attention

Hands holding you

Sufficiently

But that’s not what you want

And it is definitely not what you need.

Waiting for love

Too young to ask

The adventure of life

Like climbing a mountain

So high

Hoping you won’t fall

Over the edge.

Slowly learning to stand

Spitting out your first few words

Thinking things will be easier

But finding

That everything is out of turn

It’s a continuous search

…

A continuous search

For love!

Spring

Remember that big old tree

In the corner of your backyard

That big old cherry tree,

A safe haven for every time you were sad

And it kept growing cause of all the tears you shed;

That old tree is gone.

No more cherries in the spring

No more climbing to the top,

And all the birds that used to sing

Have come to stop.

It’s unfair

Your hiding place is gone

There is nowhere else to go

When you don’t want to be found.

The world just became a little heavier

You don’t know

How long you can hold it on your shoulders,

But you can’t let it roll off

And crush everyone

Cause their dreams aren’t broken

Even if so much is left unspoken.

That good old cherry tree

Down in the backyard

I miss it so much

I wish we never had to part.

Night trip

Driving away to nowhere

Just to clear my mind

I’m dreaming off to far away

Where troubles don’t exist.

Floating down the river blue

While ducks escort me down

I can see the colors changing

From blue to pink to this brownish hue

I just wish you could see it too.

A vacation in my mind

Anywhere I can go

Simply trying to forget

The world of everyday

An attempt to push all my worries away.

This place, this refuge

Where fear does not exist

Why can’t it be real

Because I really want to visit

And stay for a long while

Maybe forever

It all seems so much better.

Someone walks in

And roughly opens the curtains,

Light takes over the room

This dream comes to a sudden end

And the happiness is gone.

Please come back!

back to school

2007-09-04T08:06:15Z

Hello all,

It's september now, I'm back in the Netherlands, and classes start again this week. I had an incredible summer, and you can read most of my recap in one of the previous entries. Lots of highlights and great moments, and I wish it wasn't over yet. But it is the way it is. Summer's over, school starts again. This is going to be a tough and busy year, and I'll be spending a lot of time studying and reading up on related things. Working my ass off to get into college in Arizona.

Yesterday I bought all kinds of stuff, notebooks, binders, scissors, pens, pencils, other stuff, organizer, etc. etc. and of course some books I need for classes. So I guess I'm all set. I went ahead and copied some assignments that were already posted on Blackboard (that's our digital education environment, which we can use to post our assignments, hand in papers, see our grades, etc. etc.). So I think I'm gonna start working on some of those today. I'm working 10am - 6pm today (I'm at work). But I brought some stuff. I'll be working in the back today (I was kinda hoping to work in the store, but I guess in the back's okay. Gives me time to prepare for classes, which is good). I'm gonna be pretty busy.

My schedule will be:

Monday:
11am - 1pm: class
1.30pm - 6pm: work
I was thinking I could do Spanish (starters level) from 5pm - 7pm and work until 4pm, but I want and need time off late december/early january so I can see Cayte, so I'll be doing Spanish on my own for the first semester. I have some friends who are fluent in Spanish, so they can help me (and they said they would, so that's cool). I ordered the books at my job (I work in a bookstore), so I'll be practicing that sometimes. And then in the 2nd semester, I'm gonna try to do evening classes for Spanish 2. That will give me extra credits and also it'll give me some more opportunities in my fieldwork. I have a fair knowledge of French & Latin, so I think I should be able to master the basics of Spanish by myself.

Tuesday:
10am - 6pm: work

Wednesday:
9am - 11am: class
11am - 1pm: class
1pm - 3pm: class
3pm - 5pm: class

Thursday:
9am - 11am: class
1pm - 5pm: class

Friday:
11am - 1pm: class
1.15pm - 4.30pm: museum research

That's up until late october, then things will get a little tossed around, timewise, but it won't be too much different.
I'll probably post some little updates throughout the year, so if you're interested, just check back.
Yesterday, also, there was a meeting in which we got an explanation about our schedule, what books we need, yadayada. Not very interesting, but at least it wasn't a big mess this time. I'm gonna see if I can do 1 or 2 extra classes (maybe Spanish in the evenings?)
But apart from that, I think I'm gonna be all set.

Back to speaking Dutch again

2007-08-28T14:07:39Z

Hello all,

Koen here. Back in the Netherlands since last night. I was supposed to leave in Phoenix at 7.20pm. However, my British Airways flight was delayed until 9.10pm due to technical problems with the plane. (They had those problems in London already, where the plane came from, and they still had the problems in Phoenix, but they decided to still just take off at 9.10pm). Apparently there was something with the power and external engines. I think they decided to take off on only partial engine power and once they were airborn they could turn on everything. It also meant they hardly had any AC when we were on the ground, so it was a little warm in the plane. But it was okay. I had a good seat, isle seat in the front row of my compartment. Next to me was a family, but they slept most of the flight, and on the other side of the isle was another family with a little kid and a baby. Before we left up, the baby started throwing up. It was kinda sad. I felt bad for the little baby. He or she (not sure) was really cute, and it looked so fragile and sad because it was a little sick. Well, then the engines were fired up and we took off, a little shake and all cause of the engines, but nothing to worry about (these tech problems sound more severe than they were, it was merely luxury systems that weren't on during take off). But once we were airborn they turned on everything and the AC started and lighting worked again, and the entertainment system worked, etc etc. Baby went to sleep, people got dinner, all the usual stuff. I decided to watch Spiderman 3, Shrek The Third, Next and an episode of The Simpsons. After that I slept a little. The first half of the flight over the Rockies & the Great Lakes was fairly bumpy/rocky because we had to avoid thunderstorms, but after that it was quite a comfortable flight. Not really anything to report. Baby was quiet for most of the time, even though it was sick, impressive.

When I saw that my flight was delayed I got concerned I might not make my connection in London, cause it seemed to take a while to get from arrivals to departures. But the people at the British Airways desk assured me that I should be okay, and if not that I could leave on the next flight, 40min. later. So that made me feel better. There were some other minor issues that I was a little concerned about, but not too much, I guess. I had bought a small suitcase to put all my carryon (including laptop) in, because when I connected in London on the way to the US, they weren't happy I had carryon + laptop (you can do that EVERYWHERE) except for London Heathrow & Israel. But if it's all in one piece of baggage they don't care. So I did that, to avoid anymore problems. So the baggage check in London was brief and without problems. Then I made it to my gate fairly quickly and I was there about 45min before we left, which was mainly because we made up time while flying. Thank you mr. Pilot. So then we boarded in London, and the flight was about half filled (it was a fairly small plane). The flight was short and comfortable, and I hardly remember anything cause I slept through all of it. Then I got out in Amsterdam, waited for my bags (1 came out as the 2nd bag, and the other one was one of the last bags to come) and then I met up with my parents who were there to pick me up.

My parents didn't have dinner yet, so on the way home (it's like a 2 hour drive from the airport) we stopped for dinner. Since I was so out of it cause of the jetlag, I had no idea if I was hungry or not, so I just ordered something. I finished my soup quite quickly, but I didn't eat much of my salmon. A waste of perfectly fine salmon. Gladly my dad was able to eat some more of it. And the owner of the restaurant talked to us some. He actually has friends in AZ, so he kinda knew the area.

So then we came home just before 10pm. I had no idea how tired I was at all, I was so out of it. But then I decided to call Cayte, since I had promised to do so, and I wanted to hear her voice. She was still driving back to work from her lunch break, so I had to leave a message, but she called back shortly after. We talked for a little and then she had to go back to work. Then I showered (my body so needed a shower after a long time in planes & car). So I freshed up and I went online for a little while. Cayte & I managed to talk a little bit, but I think both of us need a few days to get used to this again.

Around 1am (I was up for like 1,5 days, not the worst actually after traveling back from the US, lol) I went to bed. It took me an hour to fall asleep because it all felt so wrong. Cayte wasn't anywhere near, and I just felt I wasn't where I belong. And also I was tired (exhausted is a better word) and emotional and out of it. It feels like a mix of having a severe cold and being extremely nervous. And the only thing that helps is good quality rest. So I knew I had to make myself go to sleep. Usually I fall to sleep with music playing, but since the adapter for my laptop broke down in the US, I wouldn't be able to keep it on during my sleep, so I found a decent radio station on my alarm clock and I took a book with me. But I felt too tired to read. So I didn't even open the book. I just laid down my head and tried to make myself fall asleep. I think eventually I did.. I woke up around 6am, but I made myself go back to sleep, cause that wouldn't bring me back on schedule. And then I woke up at 11am, when my alarm went. I thought that would be a good time to catch up on sleep and not wake up too early or too late. I'm gonna bring it down to 10am for the rest of the week, and then 9am on sunday, so I can get up on 8am/9am during the week (depending on what time classes start).

I'm not feeling very tired today, and I don't think I'm really out of it anymore either. I might need another day to get back on schedule completely, but I think I usually adapt fairly quickly. Today I'm basically doing a number of errands. I figured out what exact adapter I need for my laptop, so I'll try to get one tomorrow, and tomorrow I have an appointment for a haircut too (soooooo necessary). Today, I was supposed to do groceries, but my brother is going to do groceries anyway, so I asked him to bring a few things I need. That was good.
I contacted my work, the museum I research at and two class mates. I agreed to go into work on monday to make a new schedule, and I'm going into the museum on thursday to review where we are with the research and outline the next phase, and also to make a schedule. And my class mates will send me my schedule for classes today or tomorrow, so then I can start planning more.

I have a number of other errands to run this week and next week, but that should be okay. It'll keep me busy/give me something to do during the day. I think I'm gonna have to get an organizer, so I won't forget things this year. I never used it, or a notebook/agenda, (I had one during our version of high school but I didn't really use it as such, lol, it was more for poetry and jokes, and addresses, etc.). But this will be a busy and important year, and I have to make sure to do things the way I want to and need to. So I might get one of those today. I know I could use my phone or my computer for it, but I'm old fashioned and I like to write it down. Makes me remember it better too.

It's about 4pm here now, which means it's like 7am where Cayte is. She'll probably leave for work relatively soon. Hopefully she'll have a good day.

Okay, I'll stop boring all of you with my recap. It's just that it'll be hard this week, adjusting back to being apart from Cayte again and getting used to not spending all my time with her. It's a lot of little things. Not seeing her before I fall asleep, not seeing her when I wake up, not watching certain tv shows together, not discussing certain things about her apartment together, not visiting her family together, etc. etc. A lot of little things that you didn't even realize how much you were getting attached to until you don't have them. I know it's only temporary, and I'll be back in the winter. I really can't wait for that. But we did it before, and we can do it again. And next year, one way or another, I'll move there. That will most likely also be temporary, cause I wouldn't be able to stay on a student visa.. or well, no longer than the duration of my studies. But after that I should have a network and hopefully I could get a job somewhere. That would be awesome. But I shouldn't run ahead of things. Lets just focus and do everything I want and need to do this year to finish my studies here and make sure I do get into a school over there this time. There's a few options, contacts and handholds that I can explore and hopefully use, and you can bet on it that I will try everything that even remotely has the ability to improve my chances. Once I'm settled in in Leiden again and get used to my new classes, etc. I will start my letters of intent and ask people about letters of recommendation. Also I will go talk to my coordinator, supervisor & main professors about setting up meetings with them to make sure that I make deadlines, etc. I just want to make sure that I do things and do them in time. And if they are willing to help me with that, it won't hurt. And a little pressure will be good for me. I have a clear goal this time, and usually when I have a goal, there's not much that can stop me from reaching it. The only crappy thing is, that it's not entirely in my hands, but everything that I can influence to my favor, I will. I will show everyone what I'm worth and that should be worth something.

Okay, I was gonna stop. sorry.
I hope everyone's well. Take care.

Roadtrip 2007 (English)

2007-08-12T02:07:58Z

Nederlandse vertaling (Dutch translation) [[click here]]

Roadtrip July/August 2007

Pre-Roadtrip

On tuesday July 10, 2007, my parents brought me to Schiphol (Amsterdam) Airport. And before I had to head to the gate we spent some time together there. I had already checked in online, so that was nice. At one point it was time to find my way to the gate, so I told my parents goodbye and went to the passport check and then there was a 20 minute walk to the gate. (of course I had the gate that was furthest away) but ah well, good way to keep me in shape. Then at the gate there was the hand luggage check. Apparently there were scissors in my laptop case, so the security people got that as a present (though I'm pretty sure they just tossed it away). But that was all. So when that was over, I called my parents that I was all set. My flight left a little late but we arrived pretty much on time on Heathrow (London). I had a really long layover there. But ah well. Out of the plane, we got into a little bus-like vehicle that brought us to the terminal. My baggage would be transferred automatically so I didn't have to worry about that. Of course there were a number of checkpoints to go through. Some of the security people were being bitchy about me having two pieces of hand luggage, so they made me cram my backpack in my laptop case (every idiot could see that wouldn't fit) but I just did it the best I could. Next stop was where they check the hand luggage and they started complaining about the security people telling everyone to put as much stuff in one bag as possible, because it makes it harder for them. So I just took the bags out of eachother again and went through the checkpoint. Then I went on to the actual terminal where I had another 4 hours of waiting to do. And also, I had no clue whatsoever what gate I had to be at since they wouldn't put the flights/gates on the screen until about an hour before departure. (oh and about the screens, about 60% of them didn't even work, very nice). So I walked around a little, watched some stuff on my laptop, read a little, rested some and bought some gum for in the plane. At one point when I was almost dozing off I sorta glanced on the screen and my flight just came on it. So I found out where the gate was, and (of course) it was the one furthest away again, so I had another great 20 minute walk, hehe. So I got there, checked if I was all set (which I was). And after awhile I just noticed people walking through the door that leads to the plane. No one ever announced anything and there wasn't even a hint of an order of going inside, so I just joined the queue and went to my seat. Since the plane was in queue for departure, we left kinda late, but except for a few weird turbulences the flight was quite comfortable. I watched some parts of some movies, and played some games on the in-flight entertainment system and I read a little bit in my book. I tried to get some sleep as well. At night, about 20min to a half hour late we arrived in Boston. The customs and checkpoints were pretty fast, (like they've always been for me thusfar), though my customs officer seemed a little grumpy. (I think he was having a long day, and it was late).
Then I picked up my baggage from the baggage claim (took longer than I'm used to but that's okay) I went out and I found Cayte pretty fast. We left for the car and drove to her parents house and we got there between 11pm & midnight. Her mom was already asleep since she had to work the next day but her dad was still around. So we hung out with him for a little and then it was time to go to sleep.

Between July 11 & 26, Cayte had to work during the week. (She has a job in AZ but since she does graphic design, she can work from home as well, so she worked part-time during the week from MA). But in those weeks we also visited the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA and Cayte had a 'going away party' with some friends (which was very cool, I had a great time, oh, and I never realized that volleybal could be so painful, especially the next day.. or maybe we were just really enthusiastic). Also, in that time we saw the new Pixar animated movie 'Ratatouille'. Very entertaining. Not as super as The Incredibles, Cars, Monsters Inc., or Ice Age, but not far behind either.
While Cayte was working, I played some pool, made music CDs for on the road (last year when we did our big roadtrip I had the idea of making a 'soundtrack' with places/states that we were going to, and we did that again (click here to see the list)) and besides that I also did some useful stuff like working on my research for the museum I intern at.

And of course we saw Lifehouse (with Colbie Caillat & Goo Goo Dolls) and the day before that we saw Hanson (with Keaton Simons). I wrote reviews for both shows. Here are the links if you feel like reading those.
- Lifehouse
- Hanson

photos lifehouse: Link
video lifehouse: Link
photos hanson: Link
photos public garden: Link

The wednesday night before we left, Cayte's parents took us out to dinner. That was really nice, and the food was great. We went to the same restaurant that we went to last time I was here. I think I even had the same dish. It was also somewhat of an emotional dinner, since it was the last one (for now), because of Cayte moving out to AZ.

The Roadtrip
(click here to see our route)

Friday July 27, 2007: Reading, MA - Carlisle, PA
photos: Link
The first day, around 9am we left in Reading, MA. The first part of the trip through MA went by quite fast. And then we made a stop for lunch in Hartford, CT. One of Cayte's friends works there and another friend of hers lives not too far from Hartford. So we had lunch with them. That was nice. After that we continued our drive through CT & NY, which all went pretty easily. But then when we were in PA we hit crazy valley rains and thunder storms and we had to pull over for a while so the worst could pass. The visibility was reduced to like a few inches. You really couldn't see anything. But we made it to Carlisle, PA (just outside of Harrisburg) safely.

Saturday July 28, 2007: Carlisle, PA - Lexington, KY
photos: Link
This day, basically, was just a lot of driving through PA, MD, WV, & KY. We had some showers on the way, but nothing special really.

Sunday July 29, 2007: Lexington, KY - Caseyville, IL
photos: Link
On the way we made a pitstop in Louisville, KY so Cayte could show me where she saw Lifehouse (Jillian's). We also took a look at the Churchil Down Kentucky Derby (horse racing) tracks. After that we continued our drive through Indiana & Illinois. That's basically our sunday, lol.

Monday July 30, 2007: Caseyville, IL - Topeka, KS
photos: Link
In the morning we went to St. Louis (which is pretty much right next to Caseyville) and we visited the 'Gateway Arch'. We didn't go to the top, but we took a number of photos, walked around and went inside to see the museum. We also wanted to check out a documentary that was playing, but we'd have to wait an hour, so we decided against it. The museum was quite interesting. They had a special exhibit about Lewis & Clark. Then we drove further to MO, and when we reached Kansas City (mostly in MO) we crossed into KS to finally arrive in Topeka, KS where our hotel was (which, by the way was really nice).

Tuesday July 31, 2007: Topeka, KS - Englewood, CO
photos: Link
In the early morning we got out of bed to continue our trip. In KS it was raining like crazy, and a car was flipped over on the side of the Interstate that we were driving on. That didn't look very good, and it sure didn't make us feel any safer about driving in that weather. So we decided to take the next exit to pull over for a while. But somehow we missed some signs cause of the weather and we ended up taking the same Interstate again, but in the wrong direction. So we had to turn around again, and drive past the accident again. But since we lost time and we figured the weather wasn't really going to be better, we just kept on driving, slowly. The weather was better, further along the way and it even got dry a little later. We made a stop near Hays, to see the Buffalo Herd at 'Historic Fort Hays', but there were only like 4 or 5 buffaloes and they were crazy lazy. They didn't even get up and they were completely on the other side. But ah well. We just kept driving through KS and entered CO until we arrived in Englewood, CO (just outside of Denver).

Wednesday August 1, 2007: Englewood, CO - Moab, UT
photos: Link
Our first stop was the Denver Art Museum in Denver, CO. We got there kinda early so we walked around some in the surrounding park. Then we went in and watched the parts that we thought were interesting. The Denver Art Museum has some really cool exhibits (IMHO) and I thought it was really interesting. They also had some stuff that I know from my research in the museum that I intern at. Then a spectacular drive through the Rockies follows, with a lunch stop at Lake Dillon. And near Grand Junction we exited the Interstate and did the last part in CO, driving through the Colorado National Monument. For me, that was one of the highlights. Great hairpins, in the middle of the Rockies, great viewpoints, amazing mountain ridges. Cayte's always a little scared/intimidated by the ridges, afraid that we might fall over the edge, but she really wants to see those parts as well. Then, in Utah, we took a different route than we planned cause it was supposed to be nicer. And it was, but weather on that particular route was worse. So we lost some time, but the driving along the Colorado river was pretty cool. It was a little late when we finally arrived in Moab, UT, but that's okay.

Thursday August 2, 2007: Moab, UT - Flagstaff, AZ
photos: Link
In the morning we visited the Arches National Park. This park has the most natural arches in the world. It's very pretty and impressive and we took quite a bit of photos. After that we drove through southern Utah and we saw the whole "Red Butte" area, of which we saw some last year as well. It has (among others) the 'Mexican Hat' & 'Monument Valley'. And on the way to Flagstaff, most of our drive was through the Navajo Nation.

Friday August 3, 2007: Flagstaff, AZ - Tempe, AZ
photos: Link
The last day of the roadtrip. In the morning we visited the NAU (Northern Arizona University) campus and talked to some people. There weren't too many people around since classes didn't start yet, but we talked to the chair of the Anthropology department and he gave me a pretty good idea of how things work over there. I really like the way they set up their graduate program. It's really focused on getting their students a job when they graduate. After that visit we drove further south to Tempe, AZ (just outside of Phoenix). On the way we had some bad showers, but nothing like PA or KS. The drive was pretty smooth.

Post-Roadtrip

The days after we spent in a hotel in Tempe, just about 10 minutes away from the apartment that Cayte would move into, since she couldn't move in until August 8. In those days we visited with Cayte's grandparents in Mesa, AZ and we bought a lot of stuff in several stores, so we could furnish and decorate Cayte's new apartment. Also we needed to deal with some things for the car, so that it would be registered in AZ. That's pretty much what we've been doing.

On August 8, in the early morning we drove to the apartment complex that Cayte lives in now (Eastridge Apartments) with the first load of stuff. Cayte signed the lease and we brought in the stuff. Then, because delivery people could come, Cayte stayed there while I went back to the hotel to pick up the rest of the stuff and check out. (we had to fill the car twice (like completely packed) which is more than I thought, lol). Later that day Ikea came to bring the furniture so we set up most of that. Just the darn chest with drawers was really complicated so it took quite awhile. So we didn't get to the dining table & chairs, so we did that the next day. So we did that and ran some errands. And yesterday we went to Tortilla Flat / Canyon Lake / Lost Dutchman Park to do something different for a change.

photos apartment: Link 1 - Link 2
photos Tortilla Flat/Canyon Lake/Lost Dutchman: Link

Tomorrow/today Cayte's grandmother comes to visit and check out Cayte's new place. And we might go to the Heard museum. And next week we'll go to ASU (Arizona State University) campus to see if we can talk to people there and to see the archaeology/anthropology museums. Cayte will start working on August 15. And on August 19 we'll be seeing Lifehouse again. (They open for Hillary Duff. Don't ask me why, cause no one really knows, but we'll just leave before Hillary starts and Lifehouse's done). But we just heard that they canceled all the Hillary Duff dates (well, Hillary's still playing, but Lifehouse doesn't seem to be opening anymore) so if that turns out to be true, we'll try to sell the tickets, cause we really don't care too much for Hillary Duff, so someone who does should enjoy those seats, and we'd have some more money to spend.

Roadtrip 2007

2007-08-11T07:24:25Z

English translation [[click here]]

Roadtrip Juli/Augustus 2007

Pre-Roadtrip

Op dinsdag 10 juli hebben mijn ouders me naar Schiphol gebracht en voordat ik naar de gate moest hebben we daar nog wat tijd doorgebracht. Ik had al ingecheckt online, voordat we naar Schiphol gingen, dus dat was fijn. Op een gegeven moment was het tijd om richting de gate te gaan, dus ik zei houdoe tegen mijn ouders en vervolgens ben ik naar de paspoortcontrole gegaan (formaliteit zoals gewoonlijk) en toen moest ik zo'n 20min. lopen naar de gate (uiteraard had ik de gate die het verst weg was), maar ach ja, goed voor de conditie. Toen bij de gate was de controle van de handbaggage. Blijkbaar zat er een schaar ik mijn laptoptas, dus de beveiligingsmensen hebben een schaar kado gekregen (al denk ik dat ze 'm gewoon weggegooid hebben). Maar goed, dat was alles.. dus toen dat voorbij was heb ik mijn ouders gebeld dat alles in orde was. Mijn vlucht vertrok wat te laat maar we kwamen redelijk op tijd aan op Heathrow, Londen. Daar had ik een ontzettend lange tijd tussen mijn vluchten. Maar goed, toen we uit het vliegtuig stapten werden we met een pendelbusje naar de internationale termimal gebracht. Mijn baggage werd automatisch overgeheveld naar mijn aansluitende vlucht, dus daar hoefde ik me geen zorgen over te maken. Natuurlijk moesten we door een soort controle, en een paar van die beveiligingsmensen vonden het niet zo leuk dat ik twee stuks handbaggage had (rugtas & laptoptas, dus ik moest proberen om m'n rugtas in m'n laptoptas te duwen (iedere schlemiel kon zien dat dat vrij onmogelijk was) maar goed, ik zo goed mogelijk die tassen in elkaar gepropt.. kom ik bij de handbaggage controle, zie je die mensen al zuchten en toen ik aan de beurt was klaagden ze over die beveiligingmensen die altijd maar mensen tassen in tassen laten stoppen, want voor hen was dat nogal onhandig. Maar goed, ik die tassen weer uit elkaar getrokken en door de controle heen, naar de eigenlijke terminal. Daar wachtte me nog 4 uur of wachttijd. Ik had geen flauw idee welke gate ik moest hebben voor mijn vlucht, aangezien ze die pas een uur voor vertrek op de schermen hebben (de schermen, waarvan overigens 60% niet werken). Dus ik ben wat gaan rondwandelen. Heb wat film gekeken op m'n laptop, wat gelezen, wat gerust, en wat kauwgum gekocht voor in het vliegtuig. Op een gegeven moment, en ik was bijna aan het wegdommelen, keek ik toevallig op het scherm en mijn vlucht kwam juist op dat moment op het scherm. Dus ik uitzoeken waar die gate zich bevond, bleek het (natuurlijk) wederom de achterste gate te zijn. Dus ik had weer een fijne 20min. durende wandeling. (altijd fijn). Maar goed, ik naar de gate, aldaar gecheckt of alles ok was, en dat bleek allemaal in orde. Na een poosje wachten, begonnen mensen gewoon door de deur te lopen naar het vliegtuig (niemand had iets omgeroepen en er was geen enkele vorm van volgorde) dus ik ben gewoon aangesloten en naar mijn plek gegaan. Het vliegtuig stond in de wachtrij om op te stijgen, dus het duurde allemaal vrij lang voordat we vertrokken, maar goed, in elk geval had ik een redelijk comfortabele vlucht, op een paar rare luchtzakken/turbulenties na. Ik heb wat film gekeken en spelletjes gedaan via het entertainmentsysteem in het vliegtuig en ik heb wat gelezen en geprobeerd om wat te slapen. En 's avonds, ongeveer 20min - half uur te laat kwamen we aan in Boston. Daar door alle douane en controles heen, wat vrij soepel ging (zoals elke keer tot nu toe) al was mijn douanebeamte dit keer een beetje nors, maar goed, hij had vast een lange dag.

Nadat ik m'n baggage had, liep ik naar buiten en had ik Cayte al vrij snel gevonden. Toen zijn we naar de auto gegaan en richting haar ouderlijk huis gegaan. Haar moeder moest de volgende dag werken, dus die sliep al (het was tussen 23u en middernacht toen we daar aankwamen) maar haar vader was nog wakker. Dus we hebben nog even hallo gezegd en gesocialized maar toen was het toch echt tijd om te gaan slapen.

Van 11 t/m 26 juli moest Cayte doordeweeks gewoon werken. (Ze heeft een baan in Arizona, maar aangezien ze soort van grafisch design doet, kan ze veel vanuit thuis doen, dus werkte ze op uurbasis vanuit Massachussets). Maar we zijn in die tussentijd naar het Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachussets geweest en Cayte had een 'afscheidsfeestje' voor wat vrienden (dat was erg gezellig trouwens, en ik heb me nooit gerealiseerd dat volleybal zo pijnlijk is, vooral de dag erna, of misschien dat onze versie van volleybal iets te enthusiast was, altijd mogelijk). Ook zijn we tussendoor nog naar de nieuwe animatiefilm 'Ratatouille' geweest. Erg vermakelijk. Niet zo goed als The Incredibles, Cars, Monsters & Co, of Ice Age, maar ook niet veel minder. Als Cayte aan het werk was, heb ik wat pool gespeeld, muziekcds gemaakt voor de roadtrip (toen we vorig jaar de grote roadtrip hebben gedaan kwam ik op het idee om voor de staten en grote plaatsen waar we heengingen, nummers te zoeken en een soort 'soundtrack' te maken, dat hebben we nu weer gedaan (klik hier als je de lijst wilt zien)) en ook heb ik nog wat nuttige dingen gedaan, zoals research voor mijn onderzoek in het museum.

En uiteraard hebben we Lifehouse gezien (met Colbie Caillat & Goo Goo Dolls) en de dag ervoor hebben we Hanson gezien (met Keaton Simons). Ik heb voor beide concerten reviews geschreven. Beide zijn in het Engels, maar als je wilt, hier zijn de links:
- Lifehouse
- Hanson
In het kort, Keaton Simons, de opener voor Hanson was erg sterk. Vrij rauwe stem maar erg fijne muziek. Hij klinkt als moderne pop/rock met daar doorheen een sterke dosis bluesrock erdoorheen. Voor degenen die een idee hebben Sister Hazel vs. Gavin deGraw vs. Yardbirds. Zijn laatste nummer, Drive Away, was erg catchy. Toen kwam Hanson. Ik kende de bekendere nummers (niet alleen MMMbop, maar nog wat andere nummers) en omdat Cayte een fan is, heb ik de meeste CDs wel gehoord. Dus ik kon een redelijk aantal nummers meezingen. En in tegenstelling tot wat je misschien denkt zijn ze niet echt een van die 'voormalige' tiener-popbandjes, al waren ze dat wel ten tijde van MMMbop. Maar ze zijn degelijke muzikanten die een sterke show kunnen neerzetten. Alternatieve popliedjes die ontegenzeggelijk catchy zijn. Niet helemaal mijn stiel, maar ik vond het een vrij goede show. Met name hun cover van "Never Been To Spain" (van Three Dog Night) was erg goed. Voor het concert waren we al in Boston en hebben we wat tijd doorgebracht in de Public Garden en zijn we in de Swan Boats geweest.

foto's lifehouse: Link
video lifehouse: Link
foto's hanson: Link
foto's public garden: Link

De dag erna: Colbie Caillat, een sterk opkomende zangeres (zie het als de vrouwelijke versie van Jack Johson/John Mayer/Jason Mraz) catchy popsongs met overwegend zoete teksten. Absoluut een talent, maar ook absoluut nog niet klaar voor een groot podium als dit. Dan Lifehouse, de sterkste act van de avond, en dat zeg ik niet alleen omdat ze mijn favoriete band zijn. Maar ze waren verreweg de overtuigendste act van de avond. Een beetje jammer dat ze maar 9 nummers speelden en dat we ze niet konden vinden na afloop (beveiliging is nogal strikt daar). En de Goo Goo Dolls, mijn eerste concert in 1998, dat was erg gaaf om ze weer te zien. Ze spelen nog steeds een zeer sterke show (al was ik verrast dat ze geen enkel nummer van hun voorlaatste cd speelden). Het optreden in '98 was waarschijnlijk een stukje beter dan nu, iets overtuigender en een stuk intiemer, maar het showelement was overduidelijk aanwezig en ze weten hoe ze een grote venue enthusiast kunnen krijgen.

De voorlaatste avond zijn we uit eten geweest met Cayte's ouders. Dat was erg gezellig en het eten was goed. Het was hetzelfde restaurant waar we de laatste keer heen waren geweest en ik denk dat ik hetzelfde gerecht had. Het was ook enigszins een emotioneel etentje, aangezien het voorlopig de laatste keer was, aangezien Cayte ging verhuizen.

De Roadtrip
(klik hier voor de route)

Vrijdag 27 Juli, 2007: Reading, MA - Carlisle, PA
foto's: Link
De eerste dag, rond 9u vertrokken we in Reading, Massachussets waar Cayte's ouders wonen. Het eerste stuk, door Massachussets ging vrij snel, en toen zijn we in Hartford, Connecticut gestopt voor lunch. Een van Cayte's vrienden werkt in Hartford en een andere vriendin van Cayte woont daar niet zo ver vandaan. Dus we hebben daar geluncht met die 2 vriendinnen van Cayte. Daarna zijn we verder gegaan en door New York (de staat, niet de stad) ging alles vrij soepel. Maar in Pennsylvania werd het weer een stuk slechter. We kwamen in enorme slagregens en onweerstormen en we zijn op een gegeven moment gestopt en hebben het ergste over ons heen laten komen, want het zicht was beperkt tot ongeveer een halve meter. Je kon echt niets meer zien. Maar uiteindelijk zijn we veilig aangekomen in Carlisle.

Zaterdag 28 Juli 2007: Carlisle, PA - Lexington, KY
foto's: Link
Deze dag was eigenlijk gewoon een hoop rijden. Pennsylvania - Maryland - West Virginia en Kentucky. We hebben wat buien gehad onderweg, maar verder eigenlijk niet echt veel te melden.

Zondag 29 Juli 2007: Lexington, KY - Caseyville, IL
foto's: Link
Onderweg zijn we gestopt in Louisville, Kentucky, zodat Cayte me kon laten zien waar ze Lifehouse had gezien. En in Louisville hebben we ook Churchill Downs (paardenrennen, circuit) gezien. Daarna zijn we verder gereden door Indiana en Illinois. Niet echt veel bijzonderheden te melden voor deze dag. Wat druppeltjes, maar overwegend droog.

Maandag 30 Juli 2007: Caseyville, IL - Topeka, KS
foto's: Link
's Morgens zijn we naar St. Louis, Missouri gegaan (grenst zo'n beetje aan Caseyville, Illinois). Daar hebben we de 'Gateway Arch' bezocht. We zijn niet naar de top gegaan, maar we hebben een aantal foto's genomen, wat rondgekeken, en we zijn naar het museum gegaan en we wilden een documentaire kijken, maar dan moesten we een uur wachten, dus dat hebben we overgeslagen. Het museum was best interessant, het had een speciale tentoonstelling over Lewis & Clark. Daarna hebben we onze weg vervolgd door Missouri en bij Kansas City (wat feitelijk grotendeels in Missouri ligt) zijn we Kansas ingereden en dan nog een stukje verder naar Topeka, Kansas, waar ons hotel was.

Dinsdag 31 Juli 2007: Topeka, KS - Englewood, CO
foto's: Link
In de vroege morgen hesen we onszelf weer uit bed om onze weg te vervolgen. In Kansas regende het pijpenstelen en langs de snelweg (waar we reden) was een auto over de kop gegaan en het zag er niet goed uit voor het slachtoffer (of de slachtoffers?). Het was net gebeurd, want de hulpdiensten waren nog aan het arriveren. Daardoor voelden we ons niet heel veel veiliger in het noodweer, dus we besloten om de volgende afslag te nemen, maar door het noodweer hebben we waarschijnlijk een verkeerd bord gezien en we belanden op dezelfde snelweg in de verkeerde richting, dus we moesten weer omdraaien en weer langs het ongeluk. We besloten maar voorzichtig door te rijden en na een poosje werd het weer beter, en wat later werd het zelfs droog, dat was goed. We zijn nog gestopt bij het plaatsje Hays, bij 'Historic Fort Hays' waar een kudde buffels zou moeten leven, maar het waren er maar 4 of 5 ofzo en het waren een stelletje luie donders. Ze waren helemaal aan de andere kant en reageerden totaal niet op ons. Maar goed. Toen hebben we onze weg vervolgd door de rest van Kansas en verder door Colorado tot we uiteindelijk aankwamen in Englewood (voorstad van Denver).

Woensdag 1 Augustus 2007: Englewood, CO - Moab, UT
foto's: Link
Onze eerste stop was het Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado. We waren aan de vroege kant dus we hebben eerst want rondgelopen in het omringende park. Toen zijn we naar binnen gegaan en hebben we de delen die we interessant vonden bekeken. Het Denver Art Museum had enkele hele goede tentoonstellingen (naar mijn mening in elk geval). Ik vond het erg interessant. En ze hadden ook wat ouder en nieuwer Zuni materiaal (waar ik me mee bezig hou in het museum) dus dat was cool. Daarna een spectaculaire rit door de Rocky Mountains, een lunch stop bij Lake Dillon. En bij Grand Junction zijn we van de snelweg afgegaan en zijn we het laatste stuk van Colorado door het Colorado National Monument gereden. Dat was een van de hoogtepunten. Geweldige haarslpeldbochten, midden in de Rockies, geweldige uitzichten, fantastiche bergkammen. Cayte is altijd een beetje bang vanwege de afgronden, maar ze wil die routes toch graag zien. Daarna hebben we in Utah een andere route genomen dan gepland, omdat de alternatieve route mooier zou moeten zijn. Dat was inderdaad het geval, maar het weer op die route was een stuk slechter dus we hebben wat tijd verloren, maar de rit langsaf de Colorado rivier was indrukwekkend. Uiteindelijk kwamen we in Moab, Utah aan, zij het vrij laat.

Donderdag 2 Augustus 2007: Moab, UT - Flagstaff, AZ
foto's: Link
We zijn 's morgens naar het Arches National Park gegaan. Dit park heeft de meeste natuurlijke 'arches' (bogen) ter wereld. Het is erg mooi en indrukwekkend en we hebben nogal wat foto's gemaakt. Daarna zijn we doorgereden en in zuid-Utah kwamen we door het "Red Butte" gebied, waar we vorig jaar ook al een deel van gezien hebben, met onder andere de 'Mexican Hat' en 'Monument Valley'. En dan op weg naar Flagstaff hebben we het grootste deel van de tijd door de Navajo Nation gereden.

Vrijdag 3 Augustus 2007: Flagstaff, AZ - Tempe, AZ
foto's: Link
De laatste dag van de roadtrip. We zijn 's morgens naar NAU (Northern Arizona University) gegaan om met wat mensen op de campus te spreken voor volgend jaar als ik me wil aanmelden om daar verder te studeren. Aangezien het semester nog niet is begonnen, waren er niet heel veel mensen aanwezig, maar we hebben met het hoofd van de afdeling Antropologie/Archeologie gesproken en die heeft me een vrij goed idee gegeven hoe het er daar aan toe gaat. Ik vond het met name interessant dat ze hun Masters programma opgezet hebben op en manier waarbij ongeveer 92% van hun studenten bij afstuderen een baan hebben. Daarna zijn we doorgereden naar Tempe (net buiten Phoenix). Onderweg hebben we nog wat flinke buien getrotseerd, maar niet zo erg als in Pennsylvania of Kansas. De rit is vrij soepel verlopen.

Post-Roadtrip

De dagen daarna hebben we doorgebracht in een hotel in Tempe, ongeveer 10 minuten van het appartementencomplex waar Cayte nu woont. Ze kon pas op 8 augustus het appartement in. In deze dagen zijn we op bezoek geweest bij Cayte's grootouders die in Mesa, AZ wonen (ook een voorstad van Phoenix). En we zijn naar talloze winkels geweest om spullen te kopen voor Cayte's appartement. Ook moest Cayte's auto gecontroleerd worden op uitstoot en moesten we naar de DMV (dienst Motorvoertuigen) voor een nieuw rijbewijs en nieuwe nummerplaten (voor Arizona). Dus daarmee zijn we zo'n beetje bezig geweest.

Op 8 augustus zijn we 's morgens naar het appartementencomplex gereden (Eastridge Apartments) met de eerste lading spullen. Cayte heeft de huurovereenkomst getekend en we hebben de spullen naar binnen gebracht. Omdat de mensen van het bed 's morgens zouden komen is Cayte hier gebleven, terwijl ik terug ben gereden naar het hotel om de tweede lading spullen te halen (twee volle auto's aan spullen, meer dan ik dacht, lol) en om uit te checken. Dus toen ben ik weer naar Eastridge gereden en hebben we de spullen uitgeladen. Intussen was het bed aangekomen dus Cayte was bezig om dat op te zetten. 's Middags kwam de Ikea dus konden we beginnen met opbouwen. Het meeste hebben we die dag opgebouwd, alleen de verdomde ladenkast duurde zo lang (erg verwarrend) dat we de eettafel en stoelen de dag erna moesten doen. Dus de dag erna hebben we de eettafel in elkaar gezet en wat andere zaken afgehandeld. En gisteren zijn we naar Tortilla Flat / Canyon Lake / Lost Dutchman Park gereden, om even wat anders te doen.

foto's appartement: Link 1 - Link 2
foto's Tortilla Flat/Canyon Lake/Lost Dutchman: Link

Morgen komt Cayte's grootmoeder kijken naar haar nieuwe appartement en we gaan nog naar het Heard Museum in Phoenix en we gaan volgende week naar de campus van ASU (Arizona State University) in Tempe en ook naar het antropologie & archeologie museum aldaar. Cayte begint met werken op 15 augustus. En op 19 augustus zien we Lifehouse nog een keer. (Ze openen voor Hillary Duff, vraag me niet waarom, want niemand schijnt dat te snappen, maar ach, we gaan gewoon weg als Lifehouse klaar is). Maar we hebben zojuist te horen gekregen dat Lifehouse niet meer opent voor Hillary Duff, dus ik denk dat we de tickets maar gewoon gaan verkopen.

Rosemary's Sons

2007-06-03T22:31:08Z

Friday June 1, 2007
Para - Breda, The Netherlands

The show started almost an hour late, but it was alright to the fans. At times there were some little mistakes, especially in the older songs, that haven't been played in a while. But the reception of the songs, both new and old, was fantastic. There was a lot of clapping and singing along and the occasional jumping was there too. A good amount of songs (17) were played, most of which were new songs. With a nearly sold out venue, this was a great success. It's good to be back.

setlist:
1. The Others
2. Best Is Yet To Come
3. Girl Next Door
4. Fall Back
5. Dancing With Anyone
6. Devil In His Pocket
7. How About It
8. Honesty At The Door
9. Thin Line
10. Perfect
11. Marian
12. Real Fine Living
13. Shine
14. Stand Still
-
15. Sweet Helena
16. St. Eleanor's Park
17. Fall From Grace

Sunday June 3, 2007
Para - Breda, The Netherlands

This sunday, the show started only 20min late, and once again, the venue was almost sold out. A lot of younger people were also there, since it was in the afternoon. The setlist was almost the same as last friday, but between Dancing With Anyone & Devil In His Pocket, "Little Secret" was played.

The show started out with "The Others" which is (for now) the title track of the upcoming album, since "The Others" is the working title for the upcoming CD. This song, which has single potential (though a few other songs have it even more) was played with enthusiasm and you could tell the band was eager to perform. Next up was "Best Is Yet To Come", which also is a line from the song "Dream Of You" which is on their first record. (I don't know if there is a connection, but it was something I noticed). This was a nice song, not single material, but it could be a sing along live song. Next up was the song "Girl Next Door" which is obviously an upcoming single. Very catchy, easy to remember, sing along song. "oooooo what ever happened to the girl next door" is basically the chorus. You can remember that, right?
After that an old favorite of both the fans and the band, "Fall Back" from the debut album "All In Hand". You could tell it's been awhile since this was last played since there were a few minor errors, but who cares, it was fun, and everyone was singing along.
After that, more new material. The intimate and mysterious "Dancing With Anyone". It's a typical album gem. One of those songs that only the real fans know of, somewhere in the middle of the album. Great song, not single material though. Then the uptempo, catchy song "Little Secrets". I wonder why this wasn't played on friday, cause it is very catchy, and most defnitely single material. "little secrets are hard to keep".. Next up was "Devil In His Pocket" (though Martijn called it "Devil In Your Pocket") This was an interesting song, and obviously the song wasn't done yet. With a little more work, this song does have hit potential, though it is less catchy as Girl Next Door & Little Secrets. Still a very good song. It was played without rhythm section though. I think the song could use some bass & drums though, it might make it stronger by giving it more body.
Then, in my humble opinion, the strongest song of the set, "How About It". This song has some roots/country influences, sounded quite Bruce Springsteen-ish. And considering the guys are influences a lot by Springsteen, that's not too strange. Great lyrics, strong instrumentals. Then again, an older song, the catchy "Honesty At The Door". Some joking was going on around the song, but it was played quite nicely.
Okay, lets get back to some new material. The gravy "Thin Line" was very enjoyable. One of the strongest songs played. It probably won't be right as a single, but it does get you moving.
Then the quieter "Perfect" which has a nice little acoustic intro and carries on nicely. In my opinion it is not strong enough to make the album, however I did really like the song. Maybe with some more work?. Then the next song called "Marian" was a cute little song, that might well make the album, and had a nice going melody that makes it a potential single.
To end the regular set, 3 older songs were played. "Real Fine Living" which always gets the crowd moving and jumping (and it did so again), and then the sole hit "Shine" followed by "Stand Still" (lots of clapping going on here).

Then the set was closed with "Sweet Helena" a cute little acoustic demo song, with just Martijn on guitar & lead vocals, joined by Maarten & Thomas on backing vocals. And of course, to end in style, to oldies, namely "St. Eleanor's Park" & "Fall From Grace".

All in all, we can say that the new songs have a nice sound to them. Most of them need a little more work, finishing touches, a little polishing here and there, but the framework is there. Some very strong songs, and with "Girl Next Door" & "Little Secrets" two potential hit singles. Rosemary's Sons is ready to go in the studio (june/july) and record a killer album. Then, if all goes well, we can expect the new album to be dropping somewhere in the fall of 2007. We can't wait.

setlist:

test

2007-06-02T15:02:09Z

just testing

Top100 songs of last month (based on playcount)

2007-05-31T01:52:23Z

1. Who We Are Lifehouse
2. No More Excuses Kill The Alarm
3. Suddenly (Brown Eyed Girl) Nine Days
4. Answer Honestly
5. Brand New Me John Hamspon
6. Northern Sky Nick Drake
7. Love Loss Hope Repeat Carbon Leaf
8. If You Could Read My Mind Johnny Cash
9. So Calm Marwood
10. Rock & Roll Band Boston
11. Waiting For The Day David Beebee
12. Secrets Little things that kill
13. Harvest Neil Young
14. Blackbird Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
15. Would You Notice Avion
16. I Understand It Idlewild
17. Find Your Way Twarres
18. Jealous Again Black Crowes
19. Questionnaire a balladeer
20. 4 AM Our Lady Peace
21. Can't Buy Me Love Beatles
22. 50-1 Outsider Alphaspin
23. The Edge Blyss
24. The Unwinding Cable Car Anberlin
25. Lookin' Out My Back Door Creedence Clearwater Revival
26. Sara Fleetwood Mac
27. Starring Role John Taglieri
28. Summer Of Love Lost Trailers
29. Feelings Show Colbie Caillat
30. Come Back Around Feeder
31. Sola Gratia This Beautiful Mess
32. The Executive The Craze
33. I Will Follow You Into The Dark Death Cab For Cutie
34. Wandering Star Mike Finley
35. Life Is A Song Patrick Park
36. Our Town James Taylor
37. Dream Of You Rosemary's Sons
38. Chasing Cars Snow Patrol
39. Stay Alison Krauss
40. Learning The Hard Way Gin Blossoms
41. Chemistry Semisonic
42. King's Horses Jet
43. Leaving New York R.E.M.
44. Laat Me Slapen Acda & de Munnik
45. She Says Howie Day
46. Photograph 39 Reasons
47. Different Acceptance
48. Waiting Cordless
49. Four Seasons In One Day Crowded House
50. It Only Hurts Default
51. Listen Goo Goo Dolls
52. I Will Walk With You John Fogerty
53. Running Away Midnight Hour
54. Everything Else Disappears Sister Hazel
55. Hidden Poetry Born
56. Promised Land Bruce Springsteen
57. Summer of '69 Bryan Adams
58. Give Dishwalla
59. Better Together Jack Johnson
60. Freedom's Mine Stevens & Mack
61. Digging Holes Welbilt
62. Hard To Find Her Zed
63. Don't Wait For The Sun American Hi-Fi
64. Boston Augustana
65. The Luckiest Ben Folds
66. Hot Knives Bright Eyes
67. Rain King Counting Crows
68. Rootless Tree Damien Rice
69. California David Poe
70. Georgia Elliott Smith
71. Dreamland Express John Denver
72. Have A Little Faith In Me John Hiatt
73. Highway To Hell Maroon 5
74. Snow (Hey Oh) Red Hot Chili Peppers
75. Half Light Athlete
76. California Justice Five For Fighting
77. Sleep All Day Jason Mraz
78. Walk Into The Room JJ Appleton
79. Serpent Sky JJ72
80. Like Satellites Over It
81. Mystified Rocco deLuca
82. Stars Silkstone
83. Sunshine Vertical Horizon
84. Shut Up And Dance Voicst
85. Away From The Sun 3 Doors Down
86. Everything But Scared Alli Rogers
87. Hurricane Bob Dylan
88. Ocean/Growing Up Brian Desveaux
89. Unstoppable The Calling
90. Morning Light Graham Colton Band
91. 12.23.95. Jimmy Eat World
92. Neon John Mayer
93. Rain July For Kings
94. The Cynic Kashmir
95. Real World Matchbox20
96. Face To Face Mir
97. Speak No Evil MrNorth
98. Stand In Our Way Plunge
99. Meant To Live Switchfoot
100. Back For More Accolade

one song per artist

Lifehouse: In The Course Of Events

2007-05-25T04:34:04Z

Okay, I know that all of you know that Lifehouse is one of my favorite bands. And within a month the upcoming 4th official studio album, titled "Who We Are" is supposed to be released. Now I'm asking you, is it weird that I'm not so sure that'll actually happen? What the crap do we know in fact?

1. Release date: It keeps shifting between June 19, 20, 22, 25, 26, & 29

2. Album cover: We've had 2 hardly creative album covers, but you can find both of them on different sites. Currently the official site has the latter one up, though the had the other one up before. BestBuy (which is listed on the official site as a retailer to pre-order the album) has the old cover up though.

3. Tracklist: The biography on the official site speaks of several songs: First Time, Broken, Disarray, Storm, Learn You Inside Out, The Joke, Make Me Over. They played the title track Who We Are live, and Mesmerized was confirmed to be on the CD by Bryce in an official Q&A, and it is used in the Studio Sneak Peeks. Also played live is the song Bridges. On the last tour they played the song Crash & Burn, which is a song that many people expect on the CD, but they also played songs like I Want You To Know, What Happens Next, & Georgianna. And they had a myspace release of Running Away. And an older message on the official site told us that a song called Take It Out was the first demo recorded for the new album. So in fact we only know these songs for sure:
-First Time
-Who We Are
-Broken
-The Joke
-Make Me Over
-Learn You Inside Out
-Disarray
-Storm
and we can assume that "Mesmerized" & "Bridges" will also be on the album. (though a provisional tracklisting on CD Wow doesn't list Bridges, and it does list "The Edge" which was said to NOT be on the album when someone asked Jason personally.)
It does surprise me VERY much that there's not a tracklist known yet. If the CD's released in a month (or even less) it is normal that magazines, websites, newspapers, etc. write articles about the CD and radio stations and maybe music television reports about the CD. That is promotion that will happen once information gets public. There's not a whole lot that a band or label has to do for it. So far, all we can read is that the band wants to go back to their rock roots on the new album, but we don't hear crap about the tracklist. Speculations are made on tons of message boards and among fans on personal and instant messengers. But we don't get any official word. Even though in January the band posted a message to tell us they would inform us of news about the new album (and tracklist & snippets of songs were specificially mentioned) as soon as possible. We also got official word that the record is finished and will be released in June. The lead single off the album, "First Time" is already released to radio, but there is hardly any news on the album itself. That is strange.

4. CD Release show/party: There is nothing like that on the touring schedule. This, of course, is in light of their major tour with the Goo Goo Dolls, which will bring them a lot of deserved attention.

5. Video for the lead single "First Time": There is no official word on a video for the single. A fan mentioned on the LifehouseFans messageboard that there's something going on in that department, but once again, I think it's strange that we don't hear anything about that.

6. general promotion: So far there is no promotion at all, or at least, no visible promotion for the album. Except for a few articles from sites that are known for their own investigative skills and some notices on the official site & Geffen's site, there's nothing at all. Not even on Geffen's myspace. The only promotion so far is the mouth-to-mouth promotion and internet promotion by the fans. It almost looks like Geffen wants this album to fail, cause they are not doing any (visible) effort to make it known to the world that Lifehouse is releasing another album. Which I find weird, since Lifehouse proved with their last album to be successful (You & Me was one of the most successful songs of the year) and First Time is proving to be a strong single and was most added radio single almost immediately. Though with promotion it would do even better.

7. Radio/TV promotion: There doesn't seem to be any radio or TV performances to back up the single (and of course the upcoming album). Though it seems that Jay Leno has invited them again (Jay must love them, since it's like their 7th time there). So at least that's a start. And since millions of people watch the Tonight Show, hopefully it will kickstart the promotion too. If there's enough interest/attention, I doubt Geffen can withdraw itself from it's promotional duties.

--
On another note, there are a few other things that came to our attention.

The upcoming "The Simpsons Movie" will release an original Soundtrack including a contribution by Lifehouse, by the title of "High Away From You" (weird song title, but whatever). The OST should be released by July 10, but is most likely to be leaked within 2 weeks, or else we'll probably be able to preview songs/hear snippets on several websites. We'll definitely keep an eye (and ear, of course) open to follow those developments.

and also, 2 interviews from last Grammy's Ceremony came available:
Y98 interview
Mix 96.5 Interview

Dream

2007-05-18T23:48:23Z

Dream

In the dark of the night
when silence takes over the room
your guard let down
and your eyes closed tight
while you sink away in a dream.

The clouds are red and the grass is blue
in this crazy world, all I need is you
I'm the cartoon figure walking on the sea
waiting for the echo that is calling me
so I can find my way back to where you are.

The moon is smiling and so am I
and as I mumble in my sleep,
trying to tell you how important you are
my dream is taking me into deep
but no matter how long or how far
I will crawl back up until I can fly
straight back in your arms.

Light is dripping through my window;
dew drops glinster on the flowers outside.
I'm slowly waking up out of this story
and I'm feeling somewhat sorry
that all of this was just a dream.

Let It Out (inspired by new Lifehouse material)

2007-05-01T01:43:46Z

Let It Out
dedicated to Lifehouse

It's been such a long time
but I still remember it all
all the photos and the memories
how you picked me up when I would fall.

With a simple melody
you could turn my life around
With all the energy
rocking out to amazing sound.

Chorus
After all this time
You're back in my life
Making me smile and making me cry
By touching my emotions inside
So I no longer have to hide

All the time I've waited
Was worth every minute, every hour

I could jump in joy
With a smile across my face
Now that you put me
Right back in place
And as time is passing by
Music is the happiness to find.

Chorus

Let me look out the window until the sun starts shining
Let me close my eyes and bless the moment twice
And let me realize
How rich you make my life.

Chorus (2x)
So I no longer have to hide
So I no longer have to hide

back home

2007-04-08T12:15:21Z

I'm back home, at my parents house now. I'm completely off schedule, so I can't really think of much to write now. Being tired, emotional, and off schedule makes it hard to think straight, lol.

I guess I'm kinda happy to be home again, on one side, but the sadness of being away from Cayte again is much larger. I just wish we didn't have to say goodbye and just stay together. But I believe that time will come.

Tomorrow

2007-03-22T14:48:08Z

lalalalalalalalala

*excited*

Tomorrow I'm gonna see Cayte again :-D

I can't wait.

end of update

Today, Tonight

2007-03-19T21:35:40Z

Okay, I think I'm gonna try to sort of keep a little journal regularly. I guess mostly for myself, but if you want to read it, you can, lol.

Monday, March 19

Last night I didn't get a whole lot of sleep, probably like between 3 & 4 hours, so it was kind of hard to get up this morning, but I was okay. Then Cayte called while it was pretty late for her already. She couldn't sleep and she was kinda stressed out about certain things. (I addressed some of that before, in other journals). So it was between 7am & 8am, and I guess most of that time I spent on the phone with Cayte, trying to understand what she was telling me, process it, and help her with it. I don't know if I was really able to help, but I think I might've calmed her down a little bit.
So then I got to the train station around 8pm (my trains leave at h.55/h.25) so I had to wait for a little while. So I decided to get a bottle of Aquarius and get upstairs to the platform to wait for my train. All my trains were on time, so I didn't have to wait outside very long, which, considering the bad weather, was nice. When I changed trains I got a sandwich, cause I got hungry, lol. And I even made it to Leiden in time so I could get a bus instead of walking (which is nice if you have to drag along a suitcase and it's snowing outside). Can you believe that, last week we could walk outside without our jackets and everyone assumed that the spring was finally starting.. but now it's snowing again. Weird, weird, weird.

But yeah, I got to my place, then showered/shaved/relaxed some and then went to work. I work in a bookstore, but today I had to work in the back (archiving, organizing, paperwork) and I was surprised with the amount of work that needed to be done today, so I was home later than I had thought, but actually, that was okay, cause it kept me going/awake. So then when I came home, I took a nap, did some useful stuff for college, watched tv, and had my pizza, and then settled in my bed, watching tv and stuff like that. All in all not a bad day. But nothing special either. But yeah, one day closer to friday at least.

Top25

2007-03-19T10:15:54Z

Album Top 25 (march 12-18)

1. Bryter Layter (Nick Drake)
2. Greatest Hits (Boston)
3. Soma Holiday (Greenwheel)
4. I To Sky (JJ72)
5. Stadium Arcadium (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
6. Freak 'N' Roll... Into The Fog (Black Crowes)
7. Have A Nice Life (Honestly)
8. Fire Away (Kill The Alarm)
9. Cities (Anberlin)
10. Drunken Lullabies (Flogging Molly)
11. Unplugged (John Denver)
12. One Thing Remains (Default)
13. Someone Else's Problem (JJ Appleton)
14. Across A Wire (Counting Crows)
15. All That We Needed (Plain White T's)
16. Plans (Death Cab For Cutie)
17. All Their Greatest Hits (Barenaked Ladies)
18. Clarity (Jimmy Eat World)
19. Parachutes (Coldplay)
20. Midwest Skies & Sleepless Mondays (Augustana)
21. No Name Face (Lifehouse)
22. Always Eden (Alli Rogers)
23. Introducing... The Craze (The Craze)
24. Misery Loves Company (Rosemary's Sons)
25. Harvest (Neil Young)

Incoherent

2007-03-06T00:56:10Z

Whatever I do
it's never good enough,
when all the somethings
mean nothing at all.

It's like driving,
in a one-way-street,
but going in the wrong direction.

Did you ever bang your head against the wall?
I promise you that it won't hurt.
Did you ever lost control of it all?
It can't be solved with just one call.

Sometimes things are white
and sometimes they are black,
but most of all things are gray
and they hardly ever stay
the same teint at all.

It's dark outside, and fairly cold
and the world has gone to sleep,
or so I have been told.
But what does it matter?
Why should we care?
Aren't we just fighting a lost cause,
because no one's ever there.

hmm

2007-03-06T00:48:59Z

- I don't want to go sleep, but I have to work at 10am, so I should
- I don't wanna go to work tomorrow, but it pays, so I should
- I don't wanna feel sad, so I shouldn't
- I don't want the world/life to be complicated, but it is

all for now

Kill The Alarm

2007-02-25T07:07:44Z

This week, I discovered the new/debut album of Kill The Alarm, formerly known as Granian. The album Fire Away, which is for free (limited time) download here on Alternative Addiction, is very good. My favorite tracks are probably Uncovered, Sit Up, Collide, and especially No More Excuses.

I'm gonna write a review for it later, but not now, lol. I'll be posting it on Music Vault: Reviews when I'm done with it. (I really need to update, lol, I have so many reviews yet to post).. Well, w/e.

But yeah, I think you should really check out Kill The Alarm. They are similar to July For Kings, OK Go, Augustana, Acceptance, Greenwheel, Graham Colton Band.. all of that, in a blender, I guess. I really like the sound. And maybe, I'll get to see them in March, but since it's kind of expensive and they're only opening for VAST I'm not sure yet.

well, just wanted to update you all, lol

Top25

2007-02-25T06:56:38Z

In a time, long long long before you were all born, I used to make top25s on myspace, and occasionally i still do. But if I won't forget I'll be posting them on here. It's based on playcount, new discoveries, feeling with the songs, etc.

This week:

1. Answer - Honestly
2. If You Could Read My Mind - Johnny Cash
3. No More Excuses - Kill The Alarm
4. Division - David Beebee
5. They've Shut Down Marks & Spencer - a balladeer
6. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? - Creedene Clearwater Revival
7. Northern Sky - Nik Drake
8. Brian Wilson - Barenaked Ladies
9. Blackbird - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
10. Fin - Anberlin
11. She Loves You - Beatles
12. Rain King - Counting Crows
13. Steal The Morning - Eleven
14. Misery Loves Company - Rosemary's Sons
15. The Family Is Fine - Alli Rogers
16. Transatlanticism - Death Cab For Cutie
17. Just The Way I'm Feeling
18. Acoustic #3 - Goo Goo Dolls
19. The Fall - John Taglieri
20. All In All - Lifehouse
21. Harvest - Neil Young
22. Made of Steal - Our Lady Peace
23. Half The Fun - Snow Patrol
24. Find Your Way - Twarres
25. Welkom Terug - Acda & de Munnik

Finally, a new poem that I really liked myself too

2007-02-21T15:02:57Z

A Whisper

Words,
through the walls, once,
they came
like they did tonight
fluttering on high
silent within a sigh.

Specific words
contradictions,
analysis of things, deep,
deeper inside, of my mind
leaving all the easy things behind.

They creep,
in my head, inside my head
when it's dark
and I lie awake, in my bed.

A whisper,
a sound
of all that I hear
and all that I've found.

A whisper
of all that's been done
and all that I was
of all that and some
and everything
I'll become.

new background

2007-02-18T17:06:13Z

I replaced the background image i took from LJlayouts.org to another one I found by googling for a sunset photo. I like this better, so that's why. I also changed the links for comments/read post cause shoot some fruit and the $$ things weren't doing it for me, lol

new layout

2007-02-18T02:54:51Z

As you can all see, I pimped up this layout a little. I wanna give LJ Layouts.Org credit for the design. I changed a little bit in the color scheme to my preferences, but voila.

-Koen

Mike Finley on Sellaband.com

2007-02-11T23:27:19Z

Hello folks,

My pal, Mike Finley, who is an insanely talented singer/songwriter from the UK, just signed up for SellABand.Com.

Sellaband is a new project, started by several Dutch people who worked in the music business for a long time. They didn't like how things are in music world nowadays, and their mission is to change it.

On Sellaband you can invest $10 or more in an artist you believe in. When 5,000 parts are sold (aka $50,000 is raised) they close it off and give the artist a chance to record a decent demo in a great studio near them. Then they'll put up those songs for FREE download on sellaband, and sent the believers a hard-copy demo too. Also, there's gonna be advertizing on the Sellaband profiles. And the profit made in advertizing will be split in 3 equally big parts. One for the artist, one for the believers, and one for sellaband.com. A good deal,I say.

So now, hurry up and invest in Mike, he deserves it, and also, you can make money with it.

Go go go!!

First entry

2007-02-11T23:10:57Z

Okay, this'll be my first entry. I'm not sure how often I'll be using this but who knows ;)