Day 21 - Waiting For Rehearsal...

I know that I know about 75% of all of the songs that we are going to play. At least I know I can fake my way through that many live already. I am just worried about the ones I am not super familiarized with already. I still have a few that we have not even covered in rehearsal. I am sure that we will hit a few of those tonite, but man... I just want it to sound good the first time and not fuck it up... But then again, that is what rehearsals are for.

SO.. in the mail today I got 2 DVD's.... One i cannot watch until after the show... and one I will watch right away... The first one that I cannot watch yet is the Dark City director's cut... I already have Dark City, but i do not have this cut of the movie with all of the new commentaries as well as featurettes on the making of this landmark film that combines modern filmmaking with Film Noire and German Expressionism (OK... Maybe that is a bit too far for you all... I tend to have a pretty big obsession with film... but whatever, it's MY blog). The OTHER movie is the sequel to Purple Rain... it is called Graffitti Bridge. Another movie loosely based on Prince's life... And since my band is doing a song from the Purple Rain soundtrack, (OOooh a spoiler for you perhaps?? I didn't say WHICH song though... HA HA!) it is a totally appropriate movie.

I will watch that this weekend...

I want to design the backdrop logo for the band for on stage this weekend. That should be interesting.

I also am looking forward to going to a wedding on Saturday....

ANYONE want to go for SUNDAY BRUNCH?

Zubazz

Day 22 - The Heat Is On!

And I don't mean that cheesy song from the 80's..... I mean I had to turn on my furnace... YUCK!

A Chill is in the breeze! BOO! I hate winter...

Zubazz

Day 23 - Tick tock, Tick tock...

Ha ha! 23 days left with only a little over 10,000 words to memorize!! Can he do it?

Of course he can! He's Zubazz!

Last night's rehearsal was short but we went through some songs and they are starting to come together so that is awesome. We have another rehearsal for Thursday and I am sure that one will be a lot of fun so we can jam out on some of the other new tunes.

Kevin ordered the costumes today, so we shall have them for next week. I found the website for this stuff and it is absolutely hilarious. I cannot wait to see everyone's face when we all come out in this stuff! Every day that goes by I just get more and more excited!

I just got the call to HOST karaoke at McNally's tonight so that should be interesting. Less of me singing, but more of me plugging my show! HA HA!

I am likely going to try and sell off some of those tickets tonight too... (I have been holding off until this payday coming up, but there are going to be a few people tonight that should get some now while they see me cause they wont have a chance to get them before they sell out)

...and if YOU want tickets, facebook me... call me... come out and see me tuesday's at McNally's or even Friday nights at the Pump in the basement karaoke lounge!

OK... I need a nap so i can survive work tomorrow morning...

See you all soon!

Zubazz

Day 24 - Back Into The Fire!

Well, I have been working my ass off all day during my day job.... I have been hot as hell doing it too... What a scorcher out there today! I had to go home at lunch to change clothes cause I was way too hot and gross.

I get home after work and it is straight into printing out lyrics for me. I had to print out 20 more pages of lyrics. So i think i have all of my songs printed out now... I just need to work on them all now. SWEET, SWEET TUNES!!!!

Oh Ya... and I found a great place online to order our costumes from so that we can have what we want by the end of the week. I want us to have stuff by the end of the week so I can get photos and then we can have POSTERS... We need to do the poster thing like right away i think!

I am trying to think of a place where I can get some eighties style leg warmers and head and wrist bands for a couple 80's Workout Songs we are doing... If anybody out there has any that they are willing to part with, that would rock!

Too much to do before rehearsal! LOL... Off I go!

Havarti-ly yours,

Zubazz

Days 26 and 25 - Even Gods Need Rest

I took the weekend off of everything. Hung out with some friends... Talked heart to heart with some good buddies... A well needed rest to avoid what I thought could be sickness and now to get busy again!

Day 27 - Work WTF!

Nuff said about work...

Drinking with Kent before working at the Pump... AGAIN... Oops!

Oh well!

Zubazz

Day 28 - The Word Is Out There...

After yesterday's facebooking, I find that there are 72 people so far in the fan base. There are many people who haven't added us yet. I also expect there are many that are going that deleted us too because they don't like to gum up their facebook with useless things. I must admit I do that quite often. If you ever send me one of those toys on facebook, you will notice that i just block it, no matter what it is. I am sure it is fun for 30 seconds, but in the end it is just a bunch of annoying stuff to sift through on somebody else's page. I think that some of the groups are good to have out there, although I rarely visit them. But that is why you send messages to the group. I will do that shortly. I just don't want to randomly annoy people.

I do know this... People are starting to talk about this show and that is a good thing!

OK... So Yesterday for inspiration, my friend Carina takes me out to the Gaslight to see a band. Opening for this band we had a great set by League Of One. I got to see them do some stuff that I had not seen them do yet and it was very cool! Great set! And THEN... I didn't realize i was in for a REALLY different treat... I knew I was at a punk show of a sort, but what i didn't know was that it was going to be fronted by 2 huge, burly dudes in kilts playing bag pipes. The band was the MUDMEN. WOW! Punk Rock Bag Pipes! With Bass and Guitar, drums and a lead singer. They drove all the way from Toronto to do the show and it was AWESOME! Then I realized that i recognized their song DRINK AND FIGHT. I actually have it somewhere on my computer. I was highly entertained by this whole thing so I thought I would pay for the song by buying their disc. It was worth it just to talk to one of the burly piper dudes after the show. What a great time! THANX CARINA!

Just when you think you have seen every other band, a friend takes you to a show that throws you for an awesome left turn. I am HOPING that my band will do that for you too! Let me be that friend that invites you out to something you haven't quite seen yet!

Well... Time to practice songs...

Zubazz

Day 29 - So Many Lyrics, So Little Time...

Well, I have been reading aloud through the lyrics that I need to learn everyday because I have a ton of songs that I need to commit to memory in such a short period of time. I think this is my biggest worry... How to learn lyrics flawlessly in the shortest amount of time possible, so that I can focus on polishing what i would like to do with my act and not trying to think of what words come next.

What I have discovered is that i know some songs a LOT better than others.... I think what I need to do is take each song and rate it on a scale from 1-5 on how well i know the song. The songs I know the best, I will only go over once a day. The songs I know the least, i will go over at least 5 times in a day until i get them polished.

Once I print out my lyrics for the newly selected music tonite, I am going to read through them and rate them and see what happens.

IF ANY OF YOU READING had to learn a large number of songs in a short while, what did YOU do?

You see, my issue is that I half-assed know thousands of songs because of my slightly unhealthy Karaoke addiction. I am so used to having the words to every song on a screen for me, that it has become a handicap for me almost. Except I actually have learned a lot of songs simply by osmosis of having them at karaoke all the time.

BUT WE AREN'T PLAYING SONGS YOU HEAR ALL THE TIME!!! HA HA!

That is what i really love about this band... Hit 80's songs that are off the beaten path from what other bands in Regina play, yet are still cool enough to dance, sing along and have fun to.

My other task this evening is to advertise this band to as many people as possible. I have facebooked around 560 people about this band and so we shall see the results on that shortly.

OH YA.... So I watched this Rockumentary last night that my buddy Mason in Calgary sent me... It was the Red Hot Chili Peppers Funky Monks rockumentary.... It documents them recording Blood Sugar Sex Magic.... This happens to be one of my favorite albums of all time, I couldn't believe how cool it was to see the creative process behind that. I also didn't realize that they recorded songs like Soul To Squeeze at that same time... VERY COOL! I was very inspired by watching that.... THANK YOU MASON! I look forward to seeing what other Rock Shows/Rockumentaries people can hook me up with throughout this month!

See you soon!

Zubazz

Day 30 - Available Now.... TICKETS!

Man... I have to admit, I was quite blown away at rehearsal #3 last night. This was our first rehearsal as a complete band. Let me tell you, the sound is going to kick your collective asses! Some of the great ideas that were being thrown around and put together for this band last night are absolutely priceless.

McNALLY'S WON'T KNOW WHAT HIT IT ON SEPTEMBER 18th!

I really don't want to say too much to spoil everything, but I gotta say that even as rough as everything is right now, it sounds amazing so far... I got even more excited when I looked around the rehearsal room last night and saw how the rest of the guys were really buying in to what we were doing. We couldn't stop rehearsing because we were having so much fun. EVEN THOUGH we knew that some of us had to be at work first thing in the morning. When it is this early in and we are having this much fun through the difficult part, I just wonder how cranked i am going to be when we start to polish this stuff up.

Another thing happened last night.... We were finally given tickets to the show so that we could sell them in advance. I am looking forward to selling every last one of them too.... Personally, I think we are going to sell out in the next week or so since there are so many people that want to come and check this show out. PERSONALLY, feel that I am getting a TON of support from my friends and family who want to see me acheive this dream and go for more. I cannot wait to deliver the best show I can to each and every one of them!

If you are reading this and you have $5 and you happen to have September 18th free in the city that rhymes with fun, you should get a hold of me on facebook or call me if you have my number and get your tickets as soon as you can because there are only a limited amount and i want to make sure that everyone who wants to see my first show comes out to witness history in the making!

I want to thank the people that have already started to give me some of the inspirational rock shows and rockumentaries... THEY REALLY DO HELP ME!!! I learn so much from these things... I learn so much about stagecraft and other musical conduct from these materials! Keep them coming!

Tonight, before I go to Karaoke at McNally's I am going to put together the band's next set of practice discs so we can learn the next set of songs we selected.... WOW! Song selection is everything to me and i think we got some pretty good ones for this next round of songs... What i love is that this is shaping into a real 80's tribute to some of my favorite 80's songs that are not well overplayed by every other band in Saskatchewan. In fact, I am not aware of any bands that play some of the songs that we have selected. Ya, there are a few songs that other bands play, but wait till you hear US do them... I am telling you... I am REAL excited!

OK... enough of this... I have some work to do so that I can take a nap before going out and ruling my little karaoke world! (I am just in a good mood... don't mind me!)

Zubazz

Day 31 - One Month To Go

Wow... I couldn't sleep too much last night because I got my head going about this band thing and that just got me excited and I just wanted to keep thinking of band details.

I watched a Rockumentary called KISS - The Second Coming. It was how Kiss got together in the first place and broke up, but then got back together again to be bigger and better than ever. I was going to just watch the movie ROCKY for inspiration as I tend to do in these moments... but I think that I am going to put myself on a strict diet of Rockumentaries and Rock Concerts for the next month. Nothing will get me charged up like that will... I think I can learn as much stage presence as possible from watching all the greats anyway.

As I am writing this i am for the first time printing out all the lyrics to the songs we have locked in to do. We have a bunch of songs left and I think we are going to pick the rest of them tonight. I am hoping the band will go with a couple of my recommendations as I feel they go nicely with our theme and are good party songs.

Tonight will be the band's 3rd rehearsal together. I am really looking forward to it because we will be adding Brad to the mix for the first time. I cannot wait to see what it all sounds like together. I am guessing that we will back track a bit on the first six songs and then learn the next 5 for the week.

Up until now, I have not spent as much time as I feel I should have on learning lyrics. Now that i have them printed out, I will be reading each song out loud at least 5 times a day until I have them flawlessly committed to memory. I am willing to spend an additional 4 hours a day at least on getting band stuff done from here on in.

Things I will need to work on:

Learning Lyrics

Costuming and Stage Props

Band Specific Stage Banter

General Stage Presence

Any Graphic Design Required

Marketing and Sales

Learning from my Peers as much as I can about this business

I have an hour till practice... I am going to burn some discs for the boys to practice with and go from there.

Catch Ya On The Flipside,

Zubazz

(If anyone has any rockumentaries that they think i should see that will get me charged up, let me know and i will give you a disc to burn for me)

The Making Of A Rockstar

How fucking excited am I???

I have always wanted to be a rockstar my entire life! I was singing Frank Sinatra songs before I could talk properly.

Tomorrow marks the first day of my one month journey towards my first significant step into being a rockstar and playing my first REAL gig with my first REAL band. I am feeling all sorts of mixed feelings... Most of them are good. I have a few limiting beliefs I will need to tackle in the next 31 days, however I am going to work very hard to overcome any and all challenges that come my way. One thing i know... SEPTEMBER 18th, 2008 at McNALLY'S is going to change my life forever!

I am very excited for this first step... I have a LOT riding on this... And I realise there is a LOT riding on me...

It is so cool, knowing that people are going to come and PAY to see me. To me, that is the ultimate compliment when people take the time out to come and see you.

I have waited a long time to be a part of a band. WAY TOO LONG! Why have I held off? I have held off because I felt that I have enough Know-How with the music industry that I didn't want to start with people who didn't have the experience and skills to keep up with me.

Kevin approached me about doing this project right at the same time I was going to approach him to see if he was interested in starting a band with me. It was perfect timing! I finally felt that I was ready for some really experienced players to put behind me. Boy, was I in for a treat... I got some really great guys backing me up. It ALMOST feels too good to be true. But I AM worth it and this band is going to fucking RAWK! AND I get to learn from some of the best people that Regina has to offer. I cannot ask for a better line-up for my first band.

Matrimony -N- Cheese
Zubazz - Lead Vocal
Dan Siljer - Guitar
Brad Evanochko - Guitar
Kevin Kyle - Bass
Bryce Wiles - Drums
(we are so new that I KNOW that I am spelling names wrong right now, but that will change..SORRY Boys!)


Matrimony -N- Cheese (the cheesiest band in the land!) is going to be a refreshing act for this city. Many of the themes for this band are close to my heart. 80's and Cheese go hand in hand... And as everyone knows and for those of you just tuning in: I LIKE CHEESE!!!

With this cover band, I want us to go as big as we possibly can with it. I know I am in for a real roller coaster and that this band will be what myself and the other guys in the band make it.

I am not going to speak for the band as to what they are feeling with this project. I am sure you will get 4 other very different opinions from mine about the band. My goal over the next 31 days is to chronicle the entire ride from here to there and maybe then some after that. First things first though... This next month is likely going to be very hard on me and very rewarding for me at the same time.

In advance... I would like to thank all of my friends for being there for me and making my life the great life that it has been. I do not say this enough to you all... but I sincerely love you from the bottom of my heart. Especially my friends in what we call the Dysfunctional Rock N Roll family! You people are my world! THANK YOU!

OK.... Let's RAWK!!!!
Zubazz