Current Joys

[EC]

charlottetown, pei.  the nicest people and the best ice cream. :)

[tomEisenbraun]

i got my car back today.

and im finally able to immerse myself in the new m. ward album.

[tomEisenbraun]

finding that you have created music which someone has fonud on their own, and given their own meaning, in such a way where it means something to them that you could never have influenced.

i'm realizing, i need to explain my work less. it's strange, i've fought so hard for the meanings of so many mmj songs, and i'm not realizing Jim is so totally correct in not wanting people to get caught up in his definition, but in what it means to them. that's why he writes the music, is for those listening. i still have no idea how to write like that, but i understand that purpose now.

the strangest thing is, i've got a lot of meaning behind my song "bulletproof", all of it being about this relationship i had. but things are so specific when i explain them to people. but when someone doesn't hear all that, and they give the song meaning by understanding it's meaning in a way that depends on where they've been, then you've made art. art is half what you mean, and half what the audience makes it to be.

and here's the crazy part, or crazy when i learned it. is that, those are, in essence, the same thing. when you make music, you take a story, or an experience, or a feeling, and make it into a substance only able to be described as music. and in that atmosphere, your words lose their meaning in order that the listener can reassign it's meaning. you still have your own personal reasons why the song effects you, but the reality is, you both connect with that song in a similar way. it ought to evoke something unique in each of you, but the important thing is this: that evocation stems from a certain characteristic of the music. a song written in one certain way ought to affect each listener in a very similar way, not to say pull out the same exact hting in all of them, but to resonate with them in a similar way.

i think i've been robbing my friends of meaning to my music when i sit down and explain every nuance. i think a general influence for the song is wonderful, understanding why it is what it is, how it got there, i suppose. but to define the meaning of it is wrong. the meaning of it is completely individual. once you let others in on it, you've lost your power to define it.

that is extremely scary, but i think it's beautiful. you have to be willing to surrender a lot about yourself - your control, especially - in order to be an honest musician. if you hold anything back, try to define it too much, it gets drowned. the tighter your grip on what a song is, the less others will want to take hold of it for themselves.

so this is new. and it makes me overjoyed. especially that this girl found my music and resonated with it strongly enough to have it play on her myspace. that makes me ridiculously happy. people get my music, and i didn't even know i was capable of that. i thought i was just writing music for me, but apparently it's a lot bigger than that.

it's strange how one person can make your world feel huge.

[ali]

just popped by to check out what's new.... and tom's had an epiphany moment!!!

i still have no idea how to write like that, but i understand that purpose now.

i don't write music, but i would say that people write music for themselves essentially (like you said, it all stems from a personal feeling or experience), and when you or i get that resonating moment with a song, we're resonating with the feeling or experience that the writer had, which is communicated via the tone, the pitch, the melody, the lyrics etc of the song.... so i would say that you write like that now, tom.

i understand why people want to understand the minute, intimate details behind songs, and analyse the lyrics and the tone of the music to the nth degree, but for me, that's kind of missing the point of music. music is just emotion, and you relate to it in your own way, and get out of it what you do.

love music for the way it makes you feel!

reading how that's changed your view of things, and made you happy in a weird way made me feel happy too.... vicarious epiphany-moment-joy!
 :)

[TEO]

Sharapova won U.S. open
UGA won
I won a $20 bet when IU beat Ball State 24-23
Life is GOOD!

[ms. yvon]

it's strange how one person can make your world feel huge.

indeed.   :)

-driving with the windows down
-bacon
-hearing neko case at the hollywood bowl.  damn.
-early morning college radio djs.

[fitzcarraldo]

so this is new. and it makes me overjoyed. especially that this girl found my music and resonated with it strongly enough to have it play on her myspace. that makes me ridiculously happy. people get my music, and i didn't even know i was capable of that. i thought i was just writing music for me, but apparently it's a lot bigger than that.

it's strange how one person can make your world feel huge.

 :D That's Awesome Tom!

[FarmerYoda]

(doesn't mean anything to anyone: )
tomorrow i have:
math
free (/jazz)
spanish
english
lunch
free f
chem.

illin'.  8)

friday, my chem teacher is out.
so i have:

math
history
spanish
english
lunch
free f
free g
the morning will suck, but daaaaaaayum.

plus i'm going to new york on saturday!

[EC]

my cat.
little muffin keeps making these gurgling chirps.  god love her.

[dragonboy]

The DJ tool I downloaded a few days ago that allows me to mix my Mp3's together.
My wife got really cross when I tried to mix Wordless Chorus with The Imperial March (Darth Vader's theme from ESB!)  ;D
Don't expect me to be DJing in your town anytime soon - that shit is difficult (& lots of fun)!!!

[SMc55]

Watching dragonboy get so excited about his first MMJ show  ;D

[dragonboy]

[size=40]YES!!![/size]

[dragonboy]

Cheers Doc!!!  ;D
Has anyone seen the episode of Beavis & Butthead where Beavis eats all the candy at gets hyper? That's me right now! The crazy thing is my wife still has no idea & I think I'm starting to scare her.
Out of the blue I'll punch the air & scream or fall to my knees (Jim James style!) & pound the floor.
Man, what a feeling!!!

[ycartrob]

Cheers Doc!!!  ;D
Has anyone seen the episode of Beavis & Butthead where Beavis eats all the candy at gets hyper? That's me right now! The crazy thing is my wife still has no idea & I think I'm starting to scare her.
Out of the blue I'll punch the air & scream or fall to my knees (Jim James style!) & pound the floor.
Man, what a feeling!!!

and the best thing is no matter how great you think it will be, it will be better than that.

[BH]

and the best thing is no matter how great you think it will be, it will be better than that.

You hit it right on the nose tracy.  That's what makes this band so great.  Anything else, that anyone would get this excited for would be a let down, guaranteed.  Not MMJ, they will rise above the expectations. :o

[Tree]

NEW GUITAR!!!!!!!  ;D

[sweatboard]

[size=29] CHICKEN PENIS [/size]

[sharliewho]

Only 15 days left of massage school, no more driving all god damn day, no more homework, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks!!!! :D

[megisnotreal]

Only 15 days left of massage school, no more driving all god damn day, no more homework, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks!!!! :D

congratulations-- in advance.

[EC]

the amp that i am borrowing.
mother of god i hope he forgets about it...

but he won't. :(