Well, I've been doing practically nothing lately except importing cd's into my sweet new Ipod. I know I know I should be outside, the weather is great etc... but I want to get MY cd's done so I can borrow YOUR cd's.

Tanner leaving the band is official now, and although thats a bummer and I'm sad to see him go, I'm nervously-excitedly waiting to see what direction Nest Material takes now. Tan's keyboard filled up a lot of space- that is going to be lacking now- but I see us going a little more punky/rocky maybe- give Marnie and Brian more room.

By the way, wasn't Brian's birthday Flatbread thingy supposed to be last night at 8? I showed up at 8.30 and looked around and didn't see anyone I knew. Anyway, I digress.

There is some really cool/exciting NM news that I'm itching to tell everybody- but I'll wait till its a little more official.

3 cd's imported whilst typing this post- that reminds me...the first cd I ever bought was Mtv Unplugged Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded '94 or so- all tapes before that, baby

So, everyone enjoy the sun for me. Someday I'll drag myself away from this computer/ipod and live like a normal.

I (now) Pod

I finally got an Ipod! 30 gig video. It is even cooler than I could have expected. I've been importing cd's for hours and hours and I'm barely at 3 gigs. I'll probably be hitting up everyone I know for music so don't be too annoyed. My James Brown and Grateful Dead collections look pretty impressive in the cd wallet, but hardly make a dent in the ipod. Wow. So I hope everyone had a good weekend and I'll see ya all soon.

JB

So last week my 'check engine' light came on in my car. No big surprise, it goes on and off as it pleases.

Yesterday, I brought my car to get inspected (it's way overdue) and it failed automatically because the 'check engine' light was on. No big surprise, I've come to believe that all mechanics and any state inspection laws are crooked.

This morning some eagle-eyed Essex police officer spotted my past-due inspection sticker and pulled me over. I've been driving illegally for eight months, and the day after I try to get inspected I get pulled over. How do you like that? He just gave me a warning and even told me about a garage that would let some things slide whilst inspecting. I think this is the only cop I've ever had face-to-face contact with who wasn't a cocky prick fuck-face.

On a brighter note, its the weekend and the weather is great and I'm exhausted and I'm gonna sleep like a baby. So I'll see ya when I see ya

JB

Manitoba, eh?

J. B. Ledoux

Born: approx. 1915
Died: approx. 1982

Recording Situation: These two selections and the next four are made from tapes made by Albert Sutherland on a home machine at parties in Camperville around 1967 - 68.

1. Romeo’s First Change (with call) - The pickup (usually three notes at the beginning) was cut off in the original recording. Romeo’s First Change is the name given by Andy De Jarlis to this tune, but it seems to have been well-known before he recorded it. Today, most versions are regular in phrasing, much closer to De Jarlis’s recording, whereas, this one has several shortened phrases. The opening phrase is much the same as that of Little Burnt Potato and Bride of the Wind, both old ‘Down-East’ standards. However, the rest of the tune does not correspond to either of these two.

Gilbert Delarond, a local resident, is calling a First Change, but some of it is indecipherable from the recording. Notice that the calls occur often in the middle of musical phrases, in a ‘prompting’ rather than ‘patter’ style.

“The allemande left... (unclear)... and you go all down, all the way to the right, the four a way down the center...(unclear)... See your way there and all the way back... ...The allemande left with the old right and the old left hand, all the way down the middle... (unclear)... then meet your own and give her a... (unclear)... ...Second couple into the race, then put away... and go under ...back and right and left through. right away back to you places all. All, bring the left back.... (unclear)

2. G Two-Step - Unknown

whatever

I played ping-pong today for the first time in at least a year. I was rusty but still kicked everyone's ass.

I find myself humming the song 'fire' by Jimi Hendrix even though I havent heard it forever. It's funny how that happens. I really like the drums on it.

I got real drunk last night and had a blast at the Radio Bean. Plaing the guitar is awesome. Someday I might even use my left hand.

My brother Spike is on his way to Burlington to hang out tonight.

I dont really have too much to say on this blog thing anymore. Maybe I'll get some inspiration again soon.

Beware the Ides of March!

Yesterday afternoon my brother Gordie called me all excited and said that he heard on the radio that Will Ferrell had died in a para-gliding accident. I think it was a hoax. He heard it on a radio show on the Howard Stern network called 'Bubba the Love Sponge' huh...

JB

debutante

All but a very few SeaMonsters (and some random Montpelier-ites) missed my electric bass debut Saturday night. But fear not, because Friday night at the Radio Bean, approximately 11:30 pm, I will be making my ACOUSTIC GUITAR DEBUT!! One historic event after another. It must be a great time to be a Nest Material fan!


jB

the show tonight

I had a great time tonight, thanks to everyone that came out. a little run down of the show tonight...

we got to the langdon st cafe early. it was great- we went inside just to chill out for a while, and the cute girl working there informed us that we each got three free beers AND a free sandwich. So Brian and I were like 'fuck yeah!' I had a turkey melt.

ryan went on first. he has a really cool looking danelectro guitar. his songs are really good, about drinking and life and feeling blue and all those important things.

aaron was next. he showed up at the cafe with his parents and sister, and I think the extra family inspired him to play awesomely. he even played some old sherpa songs which I really like.

then the 'ol nest material went on. todd and tanner arrived in the nick of time. I was a little nervous, with all the shit happening this week- tanner announcing he was leaving, all kinds of stuff.

the first set belonged to todd. he ranted and raved and was flat on his back with a shaker screaming his beautiful little head off. we switched it up a little- tan played drums while I (kinda) played bass for a bit. we took a ten minute break.

for mini set 2 we decided to play the 'pulse' part of our most recent opus. it is really rocking and up-beat and I think it was the perfect end to the evening.

well, we got back home in time for marnie and I to go to the monkey house for the last few songs of kyles gig. the nightbirds are good. everyone check them out. I ran into some old friends I hadn't seen in a while.

a good night all around

peace, jB

That night time sniffling sneezing achey-head fever so you can go to sleep and get some rest post

I have a cold. Not a bad one, but just enough that my nose constantly runs and one nostril is plugged. Its funny, because the plugged nostril keeps switching...sometimes its the right, other times the left. I took off work today and slept in. I awoke to Todd on my couch, he went out drinking last night and got locked out of his house (Tanner was at Evas) So he came over here and luckily Kyle was still awake. We got some breakfast at the PC and had a little NM talk. Tanner is leaving the band, and shit is gonna be a lot different. After these next couple of shows in March I think we all are going to take a little break. But hopefully we will PLAY ON. Improv like it was in the beggining.

Meanwhile Tanner wants to work on his own music, and Todd too; and Kyle and I are trying to put something together. We use to have a band called East Infection (aka Burnt Col.) East Infection played 95 per cent covers, and 85 per cent of the covers were Sublime. But we had fun and drank a lot and had a little cult following. Now Kyle has tons of original rock songs, really upbeat and fun music. So I'm real excited about that.

Anyway, you should all check out the next three Nest Material shows because who knows?

3/11 the Langdon St. Cafe (Montpelier)
3/17 the Radio Bean (Burlington)
3/23 the Fire House Gallery (Burlington)

I was just thinking-

because we're playing last on sat. night in Montpelier-

and Ryan will have already have done the sensitive singer-songwriter thing-

and Aaron will bring the attitude-

Nest Material should just bring the rock-

should we re-do the new drum action piece?

or freak something all new for the Capital City?

I'm getting real excited about the FireHouse show-

I bought a new shirt-

and may even dust off the 'ol Elvis tie-

bought for high-school graduation...

i kinda feel like an idiot. the purpose of last night was to hang out with mike before he left and I, of course, drank too much jim beam and passed out on tanners bed. i remember mike coming in the room to tell me he was leaving and i was all 'ahjkafjri see ya later hsdhu !!' so mike i hope you had a good time and i love seeing and playing music with you and i'll see ya next time! i am going to treat myself to a nice lunch and then come back here and pass out again. thanks a lot for the great meal and pie last night everyone. word

JB

snow

a spontaneous poem by John Benson Ledoux Jr.

Snow!
that white blankety illusion of a perfect
day when the cold recedes and the white
sparkle sun shines away

Snow!
if only for a moment it comes
to sharpen my perspective of this
world like a yellow sun drenched desert

Snow!
falling falling falling
sled sleigh angles king-of-the-mountain
bringing back my child-hood snow balls
an inch at a time

Miles the Stud

from Miles Davis' autobiography (thanks Todd!)

"I was really into Irene. I got my first orgasm with her. I remember the first time I bust my nuts I thought I had to pee and jumped up and ran to the bathroom."

jB

!@#$%^&*()

tonight is going to be a lot of fun

i'm listening to the second disk of 'thinking about a season'& digging it

i really like the akron/family & angels of light track- hows the rest of the album?

i bought some peanut m&m's for a snack today

afterwork i might stop by the contois yamaha store and see what they have for drum machines. the new nm joint has made me want to drum machine it up

movie soundtrack freaky blue grass man of constsnt sorrow dr. john-ish end to practice last night

i went home and ate pasta salad & lasanga leftover from kyles grams funeral

jB

Those were the days...

I used to have a really close relationship to my stuffed animals when I was a kid- three in paticular.  The first was Bucky Beaver.  He was given to me before I was born.  My cousin gave him to my grandmother to bring to me in Panama.  The second was Mousie (RIP).  I think she was won/bought for me at a fair or carnival.  Rounding out the holy trinity was Dookie-Dickie, the bald-headed monkey.  I dont remember how I came to own him.
Bucky Beaver and Mousie were married and Dookie-Dickie was their son.  During the day they lived the normal stuffed animal life, but at night they were super heroes!!  We slept in bunk beds (I was on the bottom, my brother Jacob on top) and I would entertain with grand stories of how Bucky, Mousie, and Dookie-Dickie saved the world!

When I was about ten one of my brothers caught head lice (Alburgh Elementary school closed down almost every year with head lice epidemic) my Mom said she had to put all the stuffed toys through the wash. And of course, Mousie was killed. Blowed to bits she was. I was crushed-burst out crying. All my brothers laughed at me. I didnt care. I loved her.

Well, I grew up, moved to Burlington, and joined Nest Material. Dookie-Dickie and Bucky Beaver live in a stuffed animal/super hero retirement home in Alburgh (aka my Moms house)

peace, brother, peace...JB