Appa Show at Mojoe’s

March 16, 2008 at 8:12 am (appastar, concerts)

So yesterday flew by so fast.  And so much happened.  I felt so many things.  Did so many different things.  And now it’s time to make sense of it all because I feel almost overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that happened (and the amount of things that didn’t happen too). 

The morning began at 6:30 when I awoke and after I wrote a lengthy e-mail to Christina just kinda rambling about things, I went to breakfast with Vanessa (gosh, hardly remember that).  We went to the Butterfield’s NOT on Butterfield road (if you care to know, it’s on Naper on Ogden).  I was wholly reluctant to go, but when I first walked in it was actually really nice on the inside and quite warm.  I was already feeling okay about it.  Then when Vanessa came we enjoyed a nice morning conversation and the food proved to be delicious as always.  Oh, by the way, I’d decided to rock out to The Receiving End of Sirens yesterday morning during my car rides… that was dope.

I then picked up Allen at 9:32 at the train station.  We went home, worked on some new potential appa tunes (my one song Crystals is being turned into one and it sounds friggin SWEET at this point), practiced a lil, and I said goodbye to my wonderful grandmother.  Allen poked his head outta the basement and was like, “Bye grandma!”  That was cute.  We then went out to Corner Bakery and got Swiss oatmeal.  It was cool.  And we rocked out to the Pillows.  Then we came home and Corbett arrived.  We played Brawl!  It’s pretty sweet.  This is where some drama kinda kicked in.  Harriet called at 12:36 saying she just got outta soccer and she’d be about 45 minutes.  We wanted to leave at 1.  well… Allen really did.  So with that in mind we decided to go grab lunch at Potbelly’s.  After some amusing driving and a lunch run, we went back home and noticed it was 1:10.  According to Harriet she should be over in about 10 minutes.  Mmmm… not quite the case.  It was about 1:45 when she arrived and we were actually all in the car, ready to leave.  So her and Anna popped in and we sped off.  I didn’t think much of her being so late.  I don’t think anyone really did.  But I noticed she wasn’t really in the best of moods.  And I felt bad.  Because I didn’t want to draw attention to it, but how could I just ignore it?  So after a carride with loud blasting music (Allen and I rocked out hxc when TBS came on), a Yoshi, and Corbett trying to put on three seatbelts, we arrived and Allen’s apartment and unloaded.  On our way into the apartment I drew Harriet close to me and asked her how she was doing.  All I got was a half-hearted, “Doin alright.”  And then while in the apartment she seemed really distant from me, like she didn’t wanna be there with me at all.  I didn’t let it bother me: Allen and Chris were bodacious as always… and I was certain things with Harriet would turn around.  In fact, things got a little better when Allen got up from next to her and left a spot open… I slid in and we finally started interacting.  Although it was just tickling me and abusing me, it got her to smile a little bit.  I hadn’t seen her do much of that at this point.  I’m still mad at Chris for just watching.  Only not really. 

Then we did a run-through of our show.  Things were… alright.  You could tell it was just a practice, nothing more.  But this is when Harriet’s mood turned right around and the day started getting even better than it was before.  Like, the moment we were done she kept insisting I go sit with her and be with her.  In short, I saw the love in her eyes again. 

We then went off to Mojoe’s where Chris took the front seat with me and people in the back started acting like little children asking, “Are we thereee yet?”  to which Chris and I just turned the music up even louder.  Then when Allen yelled, “You guys are the worst parents ever!”…. we turned it up louder.  And then Harriet said she had to use the bathroom.  I handed her my mcdonald’s cup.  Best. Father. Ever.

We arrived at Mojoe’s and this is where things start mashing together… this is why I’m blogging in the first place, so I can remember all that happened.  Let me talk about the show in terms of people…

Let’s start with Mike.  Mike’s our manager.  I met him for the first time last night (sort of).  Anddd, he’s absolutely awesome.  I get the feeling he may end up reading this and see what kind of a sensitive kid I am, but whatever.  I’m down with that.  Him and I clicked immediately I felt.  It seems we’re into the same kind of humor and got a lot of the same opinions on stuff.  My favorite moments with him were talking while he ate his burger king and the butt-bump we did to say goodbye to each other. 

Then there’s Mikey.  He pulled a knife on me because I turned off Piano man.  And he accussed my girlfriend of being pregnant.  And I wore his booty shorts.  And that guy is basically awesome.  What else is there to really expand upon?

Next let’s discuss Harriet.  She drew a sign for Appastar to sell cd’s. It was hardcore.  Then she spent 45 minutes giving me a sharpie sleeve-tattoo that everyone was envious of.  While I was in the bathroom she texted me saying, “I love you”.  That was interestingly awesome.  She held my hand during Cody’s set and I loved it.  She kissed me in the basement and said, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time…”  She let me draw on her stomach.  I dunno.  Yet again, what else is there to say?  I love that girl. 

I dunno.  That’s the part that’s wigging me out the most.  All these things happened yesterday… and even the day before… and even before then!  So much has happened and we just haven’t been in situations together where we can just talk.  I’m dying to talk about yesterday’s events with her… go over all that happened and sit back and laugh with her about it all.  I didn’t want her to leave last night.  I never want her to leave. 

I gotta go to mass soon, so let’s finish this up as best I can.

Corbett is amazing.  I had this talk with Harriet friday how I’m so happy he’s now a bigger part of my life.  yesterday was full proof of why.

I love the world of music.  I love the world where I see Mike, Mikey, Allen, Tim, Chris, and everyone else.  The life that is so far and totally unconnected to my life at Benet.  I wish I never had to deal with the life at Benet.  I wish I could live the life I had last night… and honestly?  I wish I could live it with everyone there.  Harriet, Corbett, and Anna.  Fuck.  I’d be more than happy to spend a life just with those people in it.  All my music friends and those three kids.  It was perfection I tell you.

But okay.  Yeah.  I do have to go to mass now.

I hope more than anything I see Harriet today.  That’s my lasting thought.

Oh yeah.  THe show itself was killer, though.  We got mad compliments.
And the group at Seven Treasures was amazing.  Sandy, Chris, Charles, Charlie, Allen, Corbett, Anna, and Harriet?  Ahhh… loved that.

Peace.

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Kisu-shite.

December 15, 2007 at 12:47 pm (apollo's dream, appastar, concerts, love, music)
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In a dream.  That’s where I am.  At least…  that’s where I keep telling myself I am.

Nights like last night just don’t happen in the flow of reality.  Overwhelmingly insane nights like last night are made up of well thought-out dreams.  So… yeah.  I’m living a dream.  Or sleeping through life.  Pick one.

First it was a slop day at school and I didn’t pay attention once to what was happening in class.  Then after school it was an awesome hang-out/practice session with the boys of Apollo’s Dream… to which we then played a show.  The show was too much fun seeing as there were a thousand problems that erupted, but we overcame each and every single one to apparently put on a fantastic performance.  After the concert I went to a party with Harriet then I went home. 

That’s giving you all the details watered-down tymes a thousand.  With all the details in tact, last night was a night to make all nights of my life seem insignificant.  Not a single thing went wrong.  Everything went right.  And I even found some clarity when I didn’t realize my vision was blurred.  I woke up this morning feeling rejuvenated.  I haven’t felt this calm in a long time.

Along with finally feeling settled into this new skin of mine (which I’ve had for a while now…), it would seem I’ve gone and made new plans.  The biggest ones being entirely musical. 

After the show last night, I could not be more pumped for making an Apollo’s Dream record… and I aim to make it perfect.  No short cuts.  I won’t allow for them.  The only shortcuts I’m taking are keeping Marco, Ashbourne, and Twilight Princess the way they are.  They’ve already been made, let’s not re-do the hours already spent making them.  It really will be an awesome album… probably my proudest musical achivement to date.  Then at Appa practice the other night, the tunes were sounding better than ever.  Appa’s adopting a bit of a more aggressive style and it’s working for us like no other mentality has.  Tim and I were putting together a song that I’m incredibly excited for.  The tune feels like Appastar gone really mature.  It’s nifty, really.

I was just watching Fooly Cooly.  Fucking hell I love Japan.  I’m seriously moving there one day.  No questions asked.

This is where I’d like to end this blog and just go chillax some more… but I do say, Harriet’s name only came up like, what… once in this blog?  Yeah.  That’s a crime.  Seeing as last night was only as good as how much she was apart of it… her name should be splattered left and right throughout these words.  That girl is beyond amazing… and I aim to make sure she knows it. 

Kanpai.

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Cliff Diving.

July 1, 2007 at 8:06 am (apollo's dream, appastar, concerts, love)

Yesterday was the Final Round of the Mojoe’s Hot House Acoustic Battle of the Bands.  It was also one frickin awesome day, to say the least.

I went to work for five hours- that was deliriously gay.  So much, that when Allen got here and noticed I was so tired/cranky, I got a direct order with a finger to my face: “Mort, you are TAKING A NAP in the car.”  We practiced a couple songs before we realized we should jetski off to the concertsk.  However, we first had to pick up Pat!

Pat is allen’s Friend.  I first met him when I played the UIC show with Appastar.  He’s a most bodacious dude, no two ways around it.  When he came out of his garage, he was adorned in a plaid, button-down shirt, and a white hat.  With his back pack he walked oh so slowly to the car while Allen kept yelling, “GO FASTER!”  Pat’s first words were, “You know, the faster you tell me to go… the slower I move.”

The rest of the trip was just hysterical to the max.  It’s probably a lot of “you had to be there” to get it- but I’ll log it for my sake, anyways.  Right from the get-go, trying to leave Pat’s subdivision, we were left in stitches, trying to get Allen to “punch-it” in my car.  For those of you who don’t know, the Infiniti has mad horsepower.  When Allen didnt punch it, and he totally could have gone, Pat and I threw a fit and the rest of the day was us trying to get him to use my car at PROPER times…  Then there was the whole mix-up of trying to get into taco bell- between missing the first entrance, turning into wendy’s, and then ordering the most out of all of us- Allen’s quite the silly man. 

A lot of pop songs were jammed to during the day (note: this is where things go out of sequence).  Someone to Call My Lover by Janet Jackson, anything Spice Girls, Enrique Iglesias, Sugar Ray, Haddaway- oh man- so many golden tunes that we jammed to.  It was good going to the show… it was after that we sang so loud and blasted it to the max.  At a stop light, we had Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson blasting… and this raggy man smoking with a beard, who never made eye contact, started bobbing his head and put his fist in the air in appreciation.  Then when we all cheered, he pointed at us (still no eye contact), and continued to quietly rock out in his head.

So we play the show, right?  Quite a bit happened.  All of us fell in love with Laura on the spot (Not explaining this part), Allen and I met a great music friend, Tony Sorentino, Appastar is now managed by Around the Way Booking, Appastar took Second Place at the BOTB, we found out Mark Allan is going to jail for naughty things, I got the gnarliest scrape on my knee ever, I have friends who love me, Mr. and Mrs. Reyes might just be our biggest fans, and Glenn peed a little during Cup of Careful thinking.  WOOORD.

However, the best moment about the show was RIGHt after.  First off, I forgot my bass at the venue.  Secondly- we approach the car and Pat puts his hand through the open window- “Hey guys… was… this open the whole time?”  Not a single thing was stolen when my passenger seat window was wide open for well over two hours.  Talk about a miracle!

As usual, Seven Treasures was marvelous.  I wish I was with Allen’s friends a bit more, but hey- sometimes you can’t get a big enough table… so Allen and I acted as bridges between our two tables- consistently involving both sides.  Many air high fives were given to Pat, and I hugged Allen more than I care to admit to.  Wooooord.

In all honesty, I need today to regain my composure.  So much happened yesterday that it’s blowing my mind, truly.  Cuz get this- when I got home, a conversation that I knew would take place soooometime… finally happened.  Danielle was online.  I tried calling her earlier, but she didn’t answer (nothing new there though- the round table of calls occurred yet again lol).  So onlien we were chatting.  Then finally I asked, “So what’re you up to?”  No response.  So then I said, “Hey, if you’re there, I wanna talk to you about sometihng.”  And naturally, she came up with a response pretty quickly there.  And then I asked… “Where do we stand?”  And in about five minutes, we were broken up.  Yeahhh- ithappened online.  But if you’re not gonna answer your phone or see the person you’re dating when things are complete shit, that’s what happens.

Yeah, I’ma miss her.  Yeah, it’s sad to see her go.  But no regrets, folks.  It was a fantastic relationship that ended up being “ship-wrecked and broken” right as the summer hit.  Fortunately, I’ve got other people in my life who adore me to pieces and only want to see me happy.  I owe Judd, Allen, Glenn, Syed, and even Kim, so much for talking to me about my relationship problems.  Every single one of them had input, advice, and wisdom to share that made me realize I’m more than capable of realizing that the spark is long gone and that I can move on most easily.

So here I am: single, ambitious, successful, and hella tired.  I’m gonna regenerate today and find myself tackling a huge-ass world that wants to be conquored.  Honestly, I think signing with Around the Way is actually a bigger deal than I’m realizing.  We’re basically guaranteed at least one show per month- if not more.  And we have a tour coming next summer (for sureee).  And I can’t stop listening to the Apollo’s Dream demos- it’s shaping up to be something I couldn’t be more proud of.  Man, I gotta jet.  But after last night- my horizons just got that much bigger. 

Peace and love,
Mort

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