Archive for September 2003

It’s late. I’m bleary-eyed and squinting from another late night in Kevin’s studio (there in the shadow of the Empire State Building). This time, we had a video camera tracking our progress. What was our progress, you ask? Well, the record is done. Or, more succinctly, ‘Almost Home’ is almost done. Jonathan Goldner was on…

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I worked off Friday night’s wicked hangover with an excellent afternoon ride over the GWB. I met the guys (my brother, John and Jason) on the Upper West, then headed north along the Hudson. The first half of the ride was a bit slow goin’. Jason was on his girlfriend’s bike, which had to suck…

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Friday night’s open house was a blast. After six weeks in a confined space with just me, my neuroses, and my melancholy songs, I think Kevin was glad to have some company. We got a lot done, and had some laughs doing it. We had a fistful of awesome cameos. Half of the pop duo…

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I wrapped lead vocal tracks on ‘California,” “Never Be The Same,” and “Intent on St. Paul” tonight. So along with the already completed “Stay” and “Radio,” we’re half done with the new record. So Kevin and I decided it was time for an open house tomorrow night: absynth, Xanax, Heineken, and “Hollywood Arms.” Wanna’ come?…

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This afternoon, I watched one of my all-time favorite bands, Travis, perform for eight people just a few feet from my desk. Then I hit the studio and got back to work on my heavily Travis-influenced album. They were in the building for an MTV News interview, and to tape an MTV Radio performance. They…

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‘There is no subway service up or downtown at 81st Street tonight,’ the intercom chimed, ‘On account of the President of the United States being at the Museum of Natural History.’ ‘Oh,’ I thought, ‘Did the President want to see the Big Blue Whale too?’ ‘Cuz I love the Big Blue Whale. In fact, I…

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I was late to the studio yesterday, on account of a) squeezing in a 12-mile run with my brother and b) failing to find a cab. That’s the bad news. The good news is, by the time I got there, Tony and Kevin had already wrapped a killer lead guitar line — on the first…

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If you can think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than with a 6 and 8-year-old, my big brother, and his 3-month-old at the Museum of Natural History, please… do tell. Chris’ wife was having a girls’ afternoon with her college roommates, so we got the kids. They couldn’t have been more…

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I have enough vodka in me to knock down a buffalo. It’ll be a painful run when I meet my brother in Central Park in six hours. Pickled, pained, or not, I’m one lucky bastard. I just got in from the late night commute from hell. Which is to say, from Brooklyn. A co-worker’s taking…

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I consider myself better in front of a crowd than in it. And so it was with some trepidation that I approached the velvet-roped entrance of Remote Lounge tonight for the 6:01/Gothamist happy hour. After all, the hurricane was blowing in. I’d put in my 10+ hours at the MTV, spent largely watching Wolf Blitzer…

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