This is an open and unfiltered diary-style journal
on the life of James Robert Smith.
This blog will contain sometimes graphic experiences (both beautiful and ugly),
sometimes stark insight, and all honest and factual documentation of dreams, diet, activity, and thoughts.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Today I have the entire day off! No lessons, no band
rehearsals, no nothing.
I catch up on communications and stuff on the computer.
Chores.
Eggs. Spinach. Bagel. Coffee.
Running errands – getting groceries and returning all these
costumes and things.
Cooking myself some pasta!
Brown Rice Quinoa Noodles with Mushrooms, Onions, Tomatoes,
Naan, and Salad.
Watching Pennyworth
(2022).
At the studio pulling up the rugs in the lobby and adding a
new one that fits perfectly. It’s quite a bit of work but rewarding – it helps
open up the space more.
I chose not to do any video for the day. A Day in the Life
of takes a day off.
Staying in for the afternoon catching up on communications
and recaps from yesterday’s Halloween show.
Eggs. Bagel. Kale. Coffee.
At Music Makers coaching 3 MMLIVE bands with the help of
Andrew and Rebecca. They’re both sick wearing masks. But we manage to get
through all the rehearsals.
Protein Shake.
Cleaning up things.
Back home. Salmon, Beans, Spinach, Quinoa, and Naan Bread.
Watching The Good
Nurse (2022).
Catching up on chores – laundry – dishes – writing.
Waking up before my alarm goes but can’t go back to sleep
cause my mind is racing about today.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Loading up the truck with gear and heading out to Toast in
Norfolk for the much anticipated Lava Halloween Extravaganza. There’s much to
do to prepare for the night – helping set up the video camera – setting up a
dressing room area in the garage – getting all my music gear (synths/pianos)
prepped on the side of the stage. People, bands, and friends all start to pile
in and thus begins the magical night. Every year this event grows and grows.
The stage is bigger – the sound is better – the costumes more extravagant.
I’m so proud to be a part of this music community that can
pull together to make this thing happen. I doubled up this year performing with
ABBA and New Division. Other friends of mine are in other acts like No Doubt,
Britney Spears, The Cure, Talking Heads, and Blink 182. We pulled off the ABBA
set near perfectly – so much fun.
Later on, my other band starts trying to set up during the
costume contest and it’s absolute chaos. It’s so stressful cause we’re
scrambling to plug in cables while groups of people in costumes parade on the
stage. I’m about to lose my mind after running to the dressing room cause I
still need to change. Shannon helps assist me in my transformation into Ian
Curtis of Joy Division. I take a breath...then make my way onto the stage to
sing “No Love Lost”. The words that I worked so hard memorizing just flow out
of my mouth without thought or reaction. I go hard into character and croon in
that infamous baritone voice of Ian’s letting every lyric cut right through.
The New Order songs we save for the second half and they’re a big hit too. I’m
so proud of Chris, Jessica, Jacob, and Daniel for taking all this music to the
next level. It really showed to the crowd – most people didn’t even notice who
I was until afterwards.
After The Talking Heads do their finale set it’s all over,
just like that. Hanging by the stage and packing everything up. We all try to
take a big group picture.
Dave, Megan’s dad, helped me film and load gear back to the
studio. Grateful to have his help.
At the studio organizing things – practicing songs.
Protein Shake.
Then, we have a low number ABBA practice with just myself,
Ian, and Joey. Polishing up a few things for Ian cause he missed last Tuesday’s
practice. Feeling good about most of the songs.
Black Beans, Salmon, Salad, Rice, and Naan Bread.
Back at the studio organizing things – printing out a
rasterbated image of the Unknown Pleasures album cover to display tomorrow.
Then practicing one last time these Joy Division songs.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Organizing and cleaning up things.
PB&J Bagel. Coffee.
At the studio loading up my car and driving down the street
to Three Ships Coffee in Hilltop. Brad, the owner, is setting up the front
parking lot for the private coffee industry event tonight. We were able to get
The Cure and New Division to perform as a warm-up show for Lava this Saturday.
It’s hectic getting everything set up by myself and then helping The Cure get
their things going. But I love doing this.
...
Scarfing down a Chicken and Rice bowl then gearing up for
the New Division set. It’s a cool opportunity to be able to perform this set
more than once and get the kinks out of the way. The small crowd is receptive.
Afterwards, breaking everything down and hanging out. With
Daniel, Jess, and Chris reflecting on the show. The Berries band has been
pretty cool to play music with.
Loading everything back to Music Makers. Chris lends a hand.
We get into a deep conversation about relationships and how Covid really
affected everything – and also horror movies.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Picking up some pants from the tailor.
Organizing some things at Music Makers.
Eggs. Spinach. Bagel. Salt n Vinegar Chips. Coffee.
Teaching a few lessons.
Then, New Division’s final band practice. We run through the
set twice – and it’s feeling pretty solid to be honest. Afterwards, I break
down the PA and pack everything up.
Vegan Sausage with Quinoa/Brown Rice Noodles, Kale, and Naan
Bread.
Then, the final ABBA band practice before the show. I’ve got
everything set up in the 104 space – a dress rehearsal have you. We try to
smooth over all the rough spots in the set but overall it’s solid.
Back home. Making dinner: Mackerel with Black Beans, Kale,
Rice, and Naan Bread.
Afterwards, New Division has our band practice. I have the
whole place set up with a full functioning PA system for us to get a feel for
the stage. We run through the set – feeling pretty solid on most everything.
Back home. Making dinner: Lentils, Rice, Vegan Sausage, and
Salad.
Cleaning up things.
Back at the studio putting a few things together and
practicing some ABBA songs.
Coaching the adult band at Music Makers with Andrew and
Rebecca.
Protein Shake.
Then, we haul all our props and things to the church that
the Hunt’s attend for a Broadway dress rehearsal (sort of). We’re not really
ready to be running everything from start to finish but this gives us a good
idea of what needs work. And we can see everyone in costume.
...
Pizza break at some point.
...
We continue on till 7 p.m.
Back at the studio organizing all the things. I stick around
to run Joy Division songs. If I sing them every day then the lyrics will stick.
Back home. Cooking dinner for myself: Lentils, Eggs, Quinoa,
and Salad.
Waking up around noon. I can hear the workers out in the
back sawing away. This past month Chanticleer’s been renovating the apartment
next door and every morning I have to hear all kinds of racket.
Breakfast Bar. Tea.
Meeting up with my stepdad, Jimmy, and some of his family at
Outback for a lunch. Anne and Carl are there, his aunt and uncle. I like
hearing some of their stories about how they were high school sweethearts.
Running errands – dropping off a drum set to a student’s
house in Bay Colony – picking up pants from the tailor.
Spinach Salad with Tomatoes and Tuna. Bagel. Coffee.
Watching Unsolved
Mysteries about a UFO sighting.
Coaching an MMLIVE band rehearsal. Things go pretty smoothly
for Alexa’s band.
Then, immediately after we have an ABBA rehearsal but
without one of the guitar players and both singers. I invite Rebecca to sit in
to help us have vocal references. We mainly focus on structure (beginnings and
endings).
Back home. Making a quick dinner for myself: Black Beans,
Egg, Kale, Quinoa, and Naan Bread. Meanwhile, Madelaine and Taha got rid of
that old cabinet in the kitchen. Rebecca is over here too. We talk and run
through lines for Broadway rehearsal tomorrow over Gelato.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Running errands – groceries – fixing some keyboard patches
for ABBA songs.
Eggs. Spinach Salad with Tomatoes. Bagel. Salt n Vinegar Chips.
Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Protein Shake
Then, ABBA practice but we’re missing Ian and Daniel (bass
and guitar/keys). Things are actually quite productive though cause we manage
to solidify endings and beginnings.
Catching up on things back home and eating real dinner.
I drive over to the Berries practice space to work on some
other keyboard patches.
Running errands – groceries – mall for costume shirts –
picking up some things from the ELO warehouse.
Eggs. Spinach. Bagel. Coffee.
Teaching a few lessons at Music Makers.
At the Berries practice space rehearsing Joy Division and
New Order songs. Jacob, the drummer isn’t here for the week so we use a drum
loop on my synth or whatever we can find on YouTube.
Home kinda late.
Black Beans, Mackerel, Kale, Carrots, Rice, and Naan Bread.
Watching a documentary about the 2008 USA basketball team.
Waking up at checkout time from a wonderful night’s sleep.
Bus call is noon. Gathering all our things and linking up to the great blue
ship.
Breakfast Bar. Tea.
Mike takes the wheel with Jimmy riding shotgun. I sit up in
the front row catching up on computer things.
There’s so much room to get up and walk around on this thing
whenever you want – one of the perks of this clunky but convenient bus.
At some point I make my way into the driver’s seat –
slogging our way up and down the West Virginia mountains – the bus gets real
sluggish up these steep inclines – and it’s raining. Meanwhile, Jimmy notices
we’ve sprung a leak above the passenger side door. He uses an empty Pringles
container and ropes it on the handle.
Carlos takes over after the next gas stop and I climb into
the back where the futon is taking a nap.
We continue on through Charlottesville – enjoying our snacks/gas
stops.
Finally arriving home – we unload the trailer and clean out
the bus.
Back home – unpacking and cleaning up. Elvis is grateful to
see me.
Wow. What an overnight drive that was! We arrive at some
hole in the wall truck stop in Ohio for a while ordering food at the diner.
Luckily, the trailer hitch survived and nothing went amiss. Trying to sleep in
the moving bus though is near impossible. You’d have better luck sleeping on a
galloping horse.
...
I climb up on the top bunk and try to sleep until we arrive
at the venue.
We arrive at the Murphy Theatre in Wilmington, Ohio around
11 a.m. Doing an early load-in so we can get it all done and check into the
hotel.
Snacking on some things downstairs in the dressing room.
Back at the hotel we get checked in with time enough to take
a shower but definitely not a nap.
What a beautiful theater they have here – gold painted
balconies and an overall cool opera house design. After a successful sound
check they serve a hearty dinner downstairs of Chicken, Veggie Pasta, Mashed
Potatoes, and Rolls.
The show goes smoothly with no issues whatsoever. Jimmy A.
fills in on bass with the absence of Jimmy Wiseman. He didn’t have much time to
learn the parts on such short notice but we still made it through. Afterwards,
we do a meet and greet out by the merch taking pictures and selling lots of
shirts!
Packing up the stage and loading out.
Back at the hotel this guy that’s working security whom we
lovingly know as “Fuzzy” allows us to use the pool after hours. It’s heated
too. I warm up some green tea and provide gummies for everyone. Getting into
some deep discussions with Brittany and Jimmy on how similar people look to one
another and the psychology of religion/history.
Settling back into the room. I edit the video
for the day then settle in under the covers
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on business and packing up my suitcase.
Taking care of errands – stopping by the tailor to get these
Ian Curtis pants altered – then to Music Makers to deal with a few things.
Beans, Rice, Kale, and Naan Bread. Coffee.
More packing and cleaning some things up at the house.
Then, I recruit Rebecca to help me get the big black van
parked at the airport for Megan, Nigel’s daughter. It’s always an ordeal when
doing any task for the ELO uppers. I had to put air in the tires to which a
neighbor nearby offered to use his. After dropping off the van, Rebecca takes
me to Toast to retrieve some Lava tickets.
Then, after packing up my car, we scoop up Brittany, our
friend from Music Makers. Linking up with all of the ELO crew at the warehouse.
Piling into the “great blue ship” with trailer in tow and heading out on the
highway. It’s pretty nice inside. Extremely bumpy ride but we tricked everything
out the past two days so it’s comfortable for everyone.
Well into the night after everything seems to be going
smoothly we hit a bump in the road...
Problem #1: The battery light comes on while Jimmy is
driving – we pull over to the side of the road to inspect but nothing seems to
be wrong. Somehow we manage to get the engine running again and stop at the
nearest Sheetz.
Problem #2: Then, as we’re pulling in we notice the trailer
hitch fell right off the bus. We all scramble to find solutions – calling
around all the truck stops but to no avail – we’re even right next to a
Wal-Mart but they’re closed till 6 a.m.
Problem #3: So I take the wheel and try to drive us a half
mile up the road. All of a sudden, before I even make it across the intersection
we see flashing blue – cops are pulling us over. The officer says he pulled me
over because I disregarded a no u-turn sign getting out of the gas station.
Then he notices the tags on the bus are expired. I mean, can this night get any worse? My mental state of mind is
not good to say the least. I literally just got behind the wheel to help the
group attempt at a solution and now we’re involved in another problem. Luckily,
the cop only writes me a ticket for the violation and gives us a warning on the
tags.
We continue on! Then, the boys get a workaround idea to fix
the hitch with the materials we have. Nearby, a very nice cowboy trucker offers
his advice and happens to have the proper pin to put on the hitch. Now we’re
golden! My head hurts. But we’re on the road safely now with fingers crossed headed
to Ohio.
Meeting with Dante and this guy Will to discuss revisions on
the last Broadway show that was filmed.
Doing some errands.
Eggs. Spinach. Coffee. Bagel.
On my way to Music Makers I turn through the median where
the construction is to avoid having to make a U-Turn at the big intersection. A
cop catches me and follows me into the Music Makers parking lot. Turns out he
used to be my neighbor! He of course gives me a warning and explains I’m not
supposed to do that. Meanwhile, Jimmy A. and Mike are here to retrieve the
shuttle bus. They catch in on the action.
Teaching lessons.
Afterwards, cleaning up a few things – dropping by Wal-Mart
– then joining Rebecca and Brittany at Las Palmas for a quick dinner. Brittany
is supposed to be joining us on the ELO tour this weekend.
Later, Rebecca and I drive over to the warehouse to tinker
with a few things on the bus like adding book lights and such for all the
seats.
Mike and I have an agenda to retrieve the big ELO shuttle
bus from Nigel’s house so I can clean up a few things inside. I drive it on the
interstate – feels like driving an entire building.
I take the day off from lessons so I can get errands done
and get the bus in order.
Eggs. Spinach. Bagel. Coffee.
Linking up at the Berries practice space to rehearse our Joy
Division/New Order set. We work hard all the way to 11 p.m. polishing and
fixing things in songs.
Back home. Making myself a late dinner. Mackerel with Beans,
Rice, and Greens.
Watching Raised By
Wolves.
Later on, at the studio cleaning out the big bus with
Rebecca’s help – we wipe down surfaces and vacuum all the corners – replacing
the bunk bed sheets and everything.
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