In the Mind of Nate

   This title may suggest that this post is about the feeling a guy or girl has when they approach someone that they are attracted to for the first time hoping to strike up a conversation. But, I'm afraid it is not about that for the most part. I am speaking mainly about trying to learn a new song that someone else has written. This can also help those that are thinking of picking up an instrument for the first time. One of the hardest things I have noticed with my students was that they are not used to having guitar playing as part of their everyday routine and hence they don't practice as much.Or they become frustrated early on that they don't know many songs. But the more you pratice, the better you become and the easier it will become to learn songs(sometimes,it happens by accident just from fiddling around,the start of learning a song by ear-no sheet music or instruction needed)Many people sometimes hear a song on the radio & are so intimidated by the artist...

In music, everyone will point out your flaws, unless you are the Rolling Stones After my last post, I noticed that I didn’t get much response from people as some of my previous posts. Even with a video,and it being my Birthday. But, I did realize that in my hast to not waste my day as I rushed off to see the Hangover 3 that I made several grammatical and typographical errors. Which brings me to my topic of choice, Failure .I really was shocked that some of my regular readers did not even comment. However, as stated previously I made many errors and looked at what I created in the eyes of a first time reader. Some one who was careless enough to not examine his work and present it in an orderly fashion shouldn’t expect to be taken seriously(from now on I will be even more meticulous when it comes to my final edit,lesson learned). As far as my regular readers, many people are away,planning trips and what not. You can never let one flop be your last post,last album,show,whatev...

I decided to take a few days off my "real job", I was planning on taking just today. But after a very unfair situation that cost me a promotion, I decided to take a few days to recharge, handling the stock pile of work that has been building up and prepare for the re-release of our album this Fall. I would have enjoyed making more money and being more stable, but not at the expense of creating words and music. I feel that after the all the years I have put ino creating this music, I need to bring it to the next level no matter who or what is holding me back.Especially after I learned the business side(partly thanks to my High school music teachers who hosted seminars in house with industry professionals). But, I didn't stop there. I have done lots of research, read many books on the business, and I always keep an open mind to new trends. More of this will be included in future blogs. So I decided to try and make some order of all the video I have captured over th...

Hello again everybody. These past few months have been intense, but finally the warm weather has returned! I think any simple change to break up the monotony of one's routine breathes new life into a person. I feel that I should have made this entry yesterday since it was the official start of Summer, with the Solstice and it being the longest day of the year. Nevertheless, shifting my focus off of my immeditae goals has allowed me to take a step back, absorb whats going on around me and let things happen organically. As I am approaching yet another Birthday(which I must admit usually makes me depressed)I decided to try and take a new mental approach to life. Now for an explanation on the title of this entry, Love,Love,Love it was simply something my group of friends had been repeating throughout the night. I took the oppurtunity to see a friend perform at Irving Plaza , with some other NYC bands. It was good go out and see people doing what they " Love " doing on su...

“Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid”-Frank Zappa Hello, I know it has been sometime since my last post. After posting my first video in a blog, I wanted to give people sometime to soak that one in. Even though I know many of you do not play an instrument. This video was shown to co workers and many admitted that it seemed almost alien to them. Nevertheless, I will make more in the future & this entry has its own video as well. I did want to touch a bit of the reality of being a musician.This is one of the most misunderstood professions in existence. People often depict a musician as arrogant, yet expandable at the same time. I recall once I was in training class at my job with some guys that were a bit younger than me, pretty straight laced,car enthusiasts types from the suburbs. I remember one of them talking about a friend who was involved with a Girl who's Father was a decorated W...

I have been wanting to do some gear demos for since I started this blog. In the spirit of the NAMM show(the annual convention where all the music instrument manufacturers showcase their new products)which just ended a few weeks ago, I thought it would be a good time to do my first video and gear demo with the help of Dmitry, the guitar player from my other band of Beauty and Madness. Btw, the dog that sneaks into the video is also named Nate or Nathan.Enjoy Some tips for using this amp: I recommend buying the footswitch* for this amp,it's just easier to use and change from clean to heavy sounds while playing Turn the amp on (NOT on standby) about a half hour before you are going to use it so the tubes warmed up and you get the best sound from the amp Run the all effects(including pedals)thru the effects loop for a smoother sound, with the exception of an Overdrive *To get the model of the Footswitch please visit the Peavey Homepage

Yet again, another off shoot from my Facebook . I just decided to make this for myself on the weekend as part of my Saturday afternoon ritual & I have been perfecting it over the months. After I saw all the likes and comments(especially from the Ladies) I figure I would share it. I never thought that the old saying would now have people going around saying "the way to a Woman's heart is through Her Stomach" . Putting some thought into this, I think that cooking is a good practice for musicians to explore. I have noticed it is similar to songwriting(well for me anyway). I have found recipes online and followed them to a tee,much like my ideas on how I envision a song I am in the process of writing to sound when the recording is finalized. However, after making a dish a few times, I end up adding, altering or taking out something to my liking. Much like I do when honing a song from an idea on paper,to a demo & into a finished song. This time of year many peop...