Photo by Jirard Brown. Taken at the studio in my house.

I'm feeling pretty neglecting of you at this point. I've been busy and meaning to post a blog to catch you up, but I'm just getting around to having the time with classes ending and the second half of our tour being cancelled. Not to mention, I've been trying to decide if I'm going to stick to Weebly as my web page site. It's promising more leverage for me if I pay more money, but see . . . that's how they get you. Speaking of which, I got an Iphone this weekend. It'll be about a month before I go public with it because buy the phone was one thing, but taking it home is a entirely different story. The insurance on the phone is more than fifty bucks, a case is near twenty, and to get the apps and music will cost me the effort it takes to get a credit card. I haven't had a credit card fully in a hot minute. I got bad credit prolly, but I've been living cash only for so long, that not only has my honesty factor enhanced, but it was having actual fans, followers, friends and readers that lead me to shift my technology gear into fifth and move forward. So, I owe you a grand word of thanks. The iPhone is not really insureable by the way. Apple and Steve Jobs needs to be kicked in the arse for that one.  Funny thing is, I hate spending money - that's what I'm realizing about me.  Maybe I will grow from this considering I never really have the stuff to begin with.

For the record, I went and saw New Moon with my 7 year old niece the other night - her treat. We did studio movie grill. I made small mention of it on Twitter. So, I have to let it b said that I lusted after the character Jacob long enough to be embarassed about it later. Why is this cat so hunkish? Instantly he was too much and I'm not sure I would want my 16 year old daughter looking at it let alone the niece, who kept spitting out frustrated sighs and then giggles whenever she heard other strange women in the audience react. Overall, the movie disappointed me like the first one did. I dig vampire movies and I need action. This Twilight series is all emotionally charged with fru-fru fluffery. This is not a bad thing because the target audience needs to be exposed to such dynamics the way I was introduced to Purple Rain which I experienced at the age of 14. I stilll think more biting and people snatching is what is missing.

I'm going to be blogging here until further notice. I have new songs coming out and this weekend I dropped off the Stellar EP off to get mastered. I picked up pics from my last photo shoot and I've posted a few in this email. Enjoy.

The last JTNL trip was to New York City. I always love traveling with the guys. The more things change the more they stay the same. The cats from Atlantic Records were all great. Booking and Publicity VIP's shot down from Tennessee and I can officially say, we shared the Bowery Ballroom with Lyor Cohen. There's a movement happening with the music we're creating on all fronts. I think it's greatness! The highlights of the trip were having Aaron and Michael along for the ride. A sound guy and stage manager - both extra drivers as well.  Aaron had never been to NYC and was fortunate to get his Big Apple pass key when some guy in black SUV gave old Aaron and eye-to-eye middle finger salute for not letting him over. Aaron also got to yell obscenities at a few people without getting in shot. You know we don't play that in Texas.  Blowing a car horn at a man could cost you your life in some parts of the Lonestar. But not in the Apple. 

Another highlight was actually seeing drama. Our final night was a night that ended in some bar hopping and shot droppin. I wasn't up for drinking, so I decided to stay behind at the van. Micheal was going to be driving, so he wasn't up for going to bars either so we walked together back to the van. On the way, we passed a comedy club and not 30 feet after passing, we hear a woman screaming. We turn around to see a woman and a man tussling out of this comedy club. She's yelling for him to get his hands off her purse. He let's it go and she tumbles to the ground where she resumes kicking at this guy. He tells her to get out. She gets to her feet and takes the floor marquee sign and throws it at the guy. He dodges from the sidewalk and goes around a cab. The woman calls this guy the "n" word and tells him to go back to "Pakistan" . Insert my laughter here.  Then, this woman who is Jada Pinkett Smith small grabs a brick piece that is holding the club door open and with both hands attempts to throw it at the guy. The rock slab bounces off the back of the cab window and shatters it. I almost started applauding. It was the most exciting thing to me.

We performed at Sullivan's this night and right before the show an Asian woman came stumbling into the bar. She was throwed beyond comprehension. She tried to come into the bar and light a cigarette. NYC is a no smoking city so she was politely escorted out. I came out to get some fresh air and found her sitting on the ground, fiddling with her cell phone. Our publicist came out and started assisting the woman. Mostly because some strange dude was trying to pick her up and take her with him. He didn't know her and it was reported that he'd been seen licking the woman's fingers as he hoisted her from the ground. Later I would her that she'd probably been slipped something. I just hope she was able to wake up safe and not happy about how she ended up. God sent her angels . . . really. It still is wild to me to have witnessed.


It's good to be home. I'll be hitting up some spots this week and will be reporting. Stay tuned for more growth on this site. Stay strong and stay familiar.

 

-Emotion-



I

Party people! This is a long time coming. Aside from completing a book project, working on music and paying bills, I've been working on getting a website. I started initially by praying  for it and putting it on my list of to-do's where it has reigned in the number 8 spot for over 5 years and finally . . . the head is crowning.

Of course I have more to do and learn before this bad boy is in fifth gear headed for the finished line, but it's something I have control of.  For the longest I had pages up here and there, but I was depending on others to help me, but what I forgot was that they had lives and I'm not the most consistent person in the world when it comes to knowing what I want. So pepole helped me, but in the end . . . I wanted to help myself.  Technology is the only thing that comes and goes faster than time and if you don't keep up you will miss it.

Also painted my nails electric blue and went running. I only ran a quarter of a mile. Been out of sorts with the plague and all. But my body wanted to run and it felt good being able to fulfill that urge. I pride myself on being creative enough to see it this way.   January and I went to Gloria's tonight for chips, salsa, queso and sangria's. The were $3. I had one and it hit the spot as did the appetizers. Jan's my make-up artist and soon you will see her work as you will my other artist friends, fans, countrymen, and oxygen breathers.

It's close to three a.m., and I'm coming off a big day. First, I feel great coming off of having fucking bed bugs I caught while on the road. Been home re-habbing and trying not to look contagious.  Yeah, in case you haven't heard, during the last tour, right before heading to Nashville, I wake up in Houston, go running, take a shower and break the fuck out, starting on my arm, to the neck and then the face. I felt like aliens  were taking me over.  Never having been one to have skin issues (just mental ones, thank you very much) I freaked out. Ended up in the emergency room getting  a shot in my ass and pills to take home.  One song came out of it . . . still working out the kinks. This is a good thing. A few good things happened. Ms. L-Boogie Meade came and hung out with me two days in a row and she made out with an unmixed copy of my CD that she and Mo-Lil been jammin. The first day we went and had Tejano's Mexican with drinks and the second day we went and had Mexican with drinks. It was just the scratch my itching needed. Besides, getting out with good people is always the cure-all. If I could have it my way, L would be my stylist. I would pay her just to be fly around me. She's got mad skills on the fly and she's just cool breeze all day long. *Putting that on wish list*. So we sat around talking and I just couldn't believe this woman had traveled from north of Lewisville to make me not feel like a leper. God bless her soul . . . she's always been real with me and I appreciate her for that. So after L-came through, I worked the next day, went shopping for material, and did a show at Zubar.  I've since then gathered the tracks for STELLAR (CD name might change . . .I don't know why . . . it just might), drafted out a performance set up for a show I'm producing in September, and gotten back on the guitar. I like to stay busy. I love people, but people get me in trouble if I do too much hanging. Always some jail time wrapped up in idol behavior. With that being said, I've also managed to get a comprehensive site up where you can come and hang out and get midnight blogs where I rant about nothing in particular.

I watched Scarface today. Hadn't seen it in years. Al Pacino is by far splendidly funky on the thespian skills. I can handle gangster movies way better than I could a few years back. Had to grow into it.  But yeah, Scarface deserves the iconic place it has in this lifetime.

To answer your question, yes, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights are in Nashville recording. I will be heading out next week pending God's will. The lesson I learned today is . . . LISTEN. I want to hang out, but will later. Must get website up and running.