San Francisco Road Trip 09/18/09 Video Journal

BIRD BLOP BLESSINGS

6/23/09

A few nights ago I was headed to a friends screening of his show called, "My Mother Thinks I'm Cool". I dug it, but my story takes place after the screening.

My friend Cassandra had joined me for the night, which was set at the King King in Hollywood. Great joint by the way if you've never been. ANYhow, after the screening I was soooooo hungry so I asked her if she wanted to grab a bite. She said she had just eaten before she came, but that she would come along anyways. I said, "no way, I'd feel rude eating in front of you when you're just sitting there!" She insisted. I insisted. This went on for a while until she said she would get a shake or dessert as well. It was settled, so we headed on our way.

Our conversation, as I recall, was headed in a direction that I know better to lead it down (as far as my part is concerned which I will now share to you). Somehow we got into the conversation of growing old which I responded to her by saying, "I don't want to grow old, I want to I die before then." Such a brash, uncalled for, unadvised, and ignorant thing to say. Yes I know. I apologize for even repeating it in a story. And yes, she called me out on it. Apparently, god did as well because at that moment I notice a small white object fall from the sky and pelt me right on the left shoulder. Confused and curious, I look. "What the!? ...Aw man!"

She said, "what?"

I announced, "a bird just shit on me!"

I was bewildered, amused, and a little embarrassed I admit. I mean, at night? Really? What the heck is that bird doing up that late!? ...nevermind, I guess the answer is obvious. At this point I start laughing and make a huge scene about it. She interjects, "See, someone's trying to tell you something" (referring to my blasphemous comment). Immediately I agreed. Gave thanks and apologized, but I was still making a scene of it. That's when I told her, "you know, Colombians believe it's good luck when you get crapped on by a bird." She made a face. "So do Italians!" I argued.

She made her case, "I think your just trying to make yourself feel better for what happened."

We laughed about it and I declared that I was going to buy a lottery ticket first thing the next day. And you know what? I did just that.

While I was getting my car filled up with gas, which the prices are highway robbery by the way (like you didn't know already), I bought the first lottery ticket that caught my eye. It had something about "luck" written on it. I thought it was fitting. I was in a rush, so I didn't get to scratch it until the end of the day. In doing so I find that our poop-wielding feathered friend had just won me 15 bucks!! I was literally laughing aloud by myself. As the mature adult that I am, I naturally texted Cassandra gloating about my fortunate incident. She made a comment suggesting she had a rightful ownership of some of the loot. Being that that money wasn't mine in the first place I agreed to share the wealth.

On a final note, that night at the diner, she didn't end up buying any dessert!

LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION

05/18/09

Last night was truly an amazing, unique, exciting, and creative experience. We were flying by the seat of our pants (as we usually do). It all began on Wednesday when I received a call from my friend Keith. Apparently, they were hired to film a rap video so they had rented a space and some equipment. They would have some time remaining so they thought they would shoot videos for their friends as long as they had the equipment and time. Of course I jumped on the opportunity and sent over a cut from the upcoming EP. The song we chose was Midwestern Child. Although it's not representative of what we do, many of you like this tune and it's still us, so we rocked it.

We originally had booked Saturday, but ended up moving towards 8-midnight on Sunday. Marcos had an early call the next day and he was in the band making a video just before us too. As you can imagine the man was exhausted by the time we got up to film. Unfortunately, Roberto was unable to make it, but it was the four of us; Marcos, Shane, Cass, and me.

I got there at 6. About a block away from the studio I realize I left my camera back home! GO FIGURE! Typical Luis-move. When I got there I was asked to pick out a back drop. At this point we had NO IDEA what we were going to do. As the other band was taping, we brainstormed. It was different, but the directors took it as a challenge and really took off with it! Something about productions that involve different creative talents working together always gets me going. The bandmates, me, and our friends Mike, Keith, and Jayden (who were filming and editing) were all bouncing ideas. It was never a matter of, "this can't be done" it was always a matter of "how can we make this work." Everyone was in their element. The concept was different than the ideas they were working with all day long, so it definitely posed some challenges.

The crew had been there since 7am and at the point we started filming they had already put in about 15 hours with their other videos they shot that day. Not to mention the day before. It was STILL a great vibe though and everyone was still excited and giving 100%.

All the way until the end of the shoot I was like a kid in a candy store. I was checking out all the rigs, lights, platforms, sets, and people running around. In the video I wanted you guys to get a glimpse of it, so I can't wait for you all to check it out! Watch for it, it's gonna be something new, creative, and fun!

KARMA BY K9

04/16/09.

So this happened a while ago. I think a lot is going to be lost in translation, because a lot of it is done with my facial expressions and gesticulations (as with all my stories). I'll try to do it justice. So, a while back I was in a mad rush somewhere (don't remember where to), but regardless I needed to eat beforehand. Otherwise, I wouldn't get a chance to eat for the rest of the day. For lack of better fast food options I headed to Subway just around the block from my house. When I drove up there was one spot left between two cars. The car to my left was in it's lines, but the little red car on my right was over his. Being in a rush I made a quick decision and I masterfully squoze (yes I say squoze) my car in between. I managed to shimmy my way out of my door. As I was walking to the restaurant I noticed the car on my right had a REAL tight spot to fit through in order for him to sit in the driver's seat. For a moment I hesitated and thought of moving my car elsewhere, but instead another voice came into my head, and thought, "dude, he is parked over the lines, it's his own damn fault for being a jerk." "No big deal" I thought and continued on to the restaurant.

While I was in line to order my sandwich I notice a man probably no older than 30 march out to that very same car. It kinda looked like he was doing the boot-scootin' boogie as he debated whether he could manage to squeeze in or not. I almost left my line to go and move my car, but at this point the man steps back, throws his hands in the air and moves to the passenger seat. He proceeds to get in through the passenger side, labors over to the driver side, starts his car and leaves. I kinda give a chuckle, as if to say, "That'll teach him".

After acquiring my sandwich made by the finest sandwich artists in town (so they call themselves), I hop outside and notice that the car to my left had also left and was replaced by a much larger SUV. The difference this time was that it's windows were rolled down and staring out from within was an extremely LARGE dog sitting in it's passenger seat which just HAPPENED to have his eyes fixed on me and my sandwich the MOMENT I stepped out of the restaurant! I noticed a man standing on the sidewalk next to me as I approached with a weary eye. Needless to say when I reached 10 feet of my car I hesitated, because looming over my driver side door was this behemoth of a dog! ANYBODY else would've done the same! I stuttered my step, then regained a sense of pride and began to move towards my car. Calling my bluff, the beast began to bark fiercely at me. With every bark I could see his jowls rolling about like a sack of jello, revealing what seemed to be teeth the size of my foot! They had my name written all over them. At this point I was startled so much I almost choked on my spit! I'm pretty sure I looked like I was breakdancing very badly in the middle of the parking lot.

At this I notice the man who was standing on the side walk was chuckling. I can't help but laugh to myself when I realize how this will all play out. I looked at the man, chuckled and said, "there's NOOO WAY I'm getting close to that dog!" With that being said, I shuffled over to my passenger side door, got in and hurdled over to my drivers side seat. The dog was insistant and made sure I got the point the whole way it took me to drive out of the parking lot.

As I drove away I was laughing out loud in my car and said to the open air around me, "alright, I get it, I get it. Fair enough. Thank you!"

CUPCAKES & MUSIC

03/14/09

It's a given when I play at outdoor public events that I'm going to see kids completely intrigued by the music. They're usually dragged away by their parents who don't even notice that their kid is completely focused and interested in the music. They always are looking over their shoulder with eager eyes until I am completely out of sight. All the while they are clumsily stumbling over their own feet trying to walk sideways to get a better view, despite their parent's death-grip. It's actually comical to see the whole thing play out.

I remember two performances ago at Kaleidoscope. There was this family running by with a whole bunch of party supplies. Apparently they had just had a birthday celebration. Next thing I know in the middle of one of my songs this little girl, who couldn't have been more than 10, trotted awkwardly towards me with a large tray where 2 pink frosted cupcakes rested. In her excitement, I thought she was going to trip over her feet and send the tray flying, but she managed to get to the table. She left the entire tray on the table next to me. In a single hop she made a 180, and pleased with herself she bounced all the way back to her father. He was waiting for her with a grin on his face and whispered something to her when she arrived. At that she looked a little alert and confused. At this point her bigger sister took her by the hand and led her back to the table. Halfway there she got the idea and picked up the tray, whirled back around and began to march back to her father. Her sister whispered in her ear again. At this point she stuttered in her actions, until she pick one of the cupcakes up and placed it dantily on the table top. After this display of acheivement she looked back at her dad for approval. When he gave her an approving nod, she skipped back to her family. I thanked them over the mic. I'll tell you what, the night was fantastic, but that cupcake topped it all off!

Tonight at Borders another kid had me cracking up. I was a fourth into a song when outta nowhere this kid, clad in pink from head to toe, came bounding in out of nowhere!! She just started busting a move right there in the middle of the walkway. Everyone was watching and she kept right on. She was SO excited! Put her whole heart and soul into those tiny dance moves that were frantically exploding all over her make-shift dance floor! Kids are uncoordinated in the first place, so as you can imagine her limbs were shooting out every which way. Just complete expression and energy. She had us all sold on it though. She was dancing! Just as quickly as she appeared she disappeared in the bookshelves. I was routing for her during the tune. A few songs later, the same little girl, pulled up a chair and walked it straight over to me. She plopped it down not more than 5 feet in front, sat herself in it, and just stared with an excited grin on her face. Within a minute though I saw her expression completely change as if she had just grown aware that she was sitting in front of a complete stranger with no familiar faces within 15 feet of her. She darted up, put the chair back in it's spot and that was that. I couldn't help but laugh at how random and uninhibited it was. It's always such a nice change of pace to see things like that. I asked all the adults over the microphone then, "Did you all see that? That was awesome! What happened to us older folk just sitting down to ourselves with our face in a book or on our iPhones!? We use to be like that!" They all just laughed.

WHOOPI KISSES

03/05/09

I really wish I had somebody to share a lot of the bizarre and funny moments that I witness. I just got back home from a show in Mission Viejo. During the show there was a birthday party for kids that was sitting a few tables away from where I was playing. They all had their own personal whoopi cushion. Thing is- there were about 20 of them running around with them! You remember that kid back in gradeschool who always repeated the same sentence over and over, until somebody acknowledged him? So, here's this kid yelling at the top of his lung to a friend of his, "hey! Hey! I just farted! I just farted! Did you hear it? Did you hear it?!" This went on for about 10 minutes straight. I could barely sing my song cause I was laughing so much. Next thing I know I see from the corner of my eye, another kid literally jump and land straight on his butt on the whoopi cushion. Being an amateur at the whole art of whoopi cushioning he didn't expect the entire thing to pop. Poor kid, he looked so excited to sit on that thing! I'm sure he was expecting a pretty righteous flatulant come out of his efforts. His parents were just laughing at him, "Well, you just can't land on it like that!"

They also had these guns that shot pingpong balls out. If you can imagine 20 of these things going off at the same time. Children were running around like chickens with their heads cut off and it sound like an Orval Redenbacher factory was set ablaze! Again I could barely contain my laughter.

Something else that was pretty memorable was at the very end of my set. I was just about to pack up when a girl who must've been in her early 20s came out for a break. I assume this because she was still sporting the kind of collered shirt you find people wearing in Best Buy. She sat in the table right in front and asked me to play a song for her. I asked her what she wanted to hear, she mentioned something like Gavin Degraw. I thought about it, and offered to play the closest song I have to that kind of songwriting. It was A Sweeter Thing. Halfway through the song I asked her if it was what she was looking for and she said, "yeah, keep going." I'll place the lyrics at the end of this entry if you're all curious as to what she heard. Anyhow, at the end of the song, she smiled, hesitated, then slowly got out of her chair and walked straight to me. She recited my lyrics to me sincerely, "It's just little you and me in this great big world." She paused. Gave me a kiss on the cheek, then before she walked away she said, "you really read me, didn't you." She smiled and that was that. Not a bad way to end a set if I do say so myself.

I love those kinds of memories. It's so tough to reach people it seems these days. To be able to connect with someone atleast for a second is always a brilliant surprise. Especially through my music. I remember a girl came up to me with my old band 2taTango and put something in my hand, placed my fingers over it, and said, "the music was so beautiful. Thank you so much." I gave her thanks and when she had left the room I opened my hand and she had given me a quartz crystal. How cool is that! Till this day it's sitting on my desk right in front of my face as I'm typing this journal out for you all to read. Which, by the way, if you've made it this far in my journal- thank you. Thank you.

Last night I met some pretty amazing people.

I gotta continue counting my blessings.

A SWEETER THING

To the world you'll be a fine looking supermodel. The kind the guys like to hang up on their walls: Scantily clad in skin tight leather, high-heeled boots and black mascara. The world will have you but you still sing all my songs.

**Baby, they love you up and they lay you down on fine furs and jewelry. Well I tell you what- they think they are kings, but they can't come close to what we've been: Such a sweeter thing.**

I had you then: lazy days up to summer things that brought us close enough to know where this would lead. But then came September. It brought a change and I remember life back home called and I had to leave.

Before the money, before the world adored your face. Before they saw and started calling out your name you fell into me. Before the fame, Ferrari's and Versace, hot spot-lights and high-profile
parties you were telling me how
you thought your life would be.
They can try, but they'll never
know you like I do, we found
love next to temples that
made us swoon. Exchanging
things that only lovers can give.

Darling, it's just little you and me in this great big world. Baby, it's just you and me, and the love we found.

MAYDAY DATE

03/03/09

So there's this friend I asked on a date while she was in town for 3 days. I thought, "man, I'm totally going to show her the greatest time!" It occurred to me we had very little time because her visit was last-minute, and I had plans most of the weekend. Therefore, Saturday we planned to go out in the morning.

Saturday morning comes around and we both slept in. Okay. SO.. we moved plans for Sunday morning: I had no plans, she hadn't any plans, it was gorgeous all weekend, it was perfect! So, Sunday morning things are going well. She was looking forward to our adventure and I was looking forward to showing her a fun time. We managed to make it 5 minutes away from our destination when all of a sudden my Ford Probe, Sapo, starts overheating. I took the exit and immediately pulled into the nearest gas station to discover that a belt had busted in the engine. Luckily we were right next to an automotive building. Unluckily they were closed on Sundays. I seriously considered just hiking the next 5 minutes and dealing with the car later, but she seemed concerned. SO, I end up calling the good people at AAA. As we waited for the tow truck, we spent 30 minutes making fun of our predicatment and how "I sure knew how to show a girl a good time".

The truck driver was a good-spirited man, who was excellent company as we hoisted in reverse my poor car, Sapo, on the platform of the truck. The ride was great. She was amused, the driver was funny. The both of us, my friend and me (not me and the driver), were nestled in by one seatbelt because the truck didn't have another. A few minutes down the highway we heard a very distinct, "HEY!" come from the car we were passing. We just looked at each other laughing about how random it was. Ten minutes later there was a bit of a traffic jam and the car had caught up to us again and they called, "HEY!... HEY!" I turned confused and alittle amused, "Yeah?"
"Is that your car being towed?"
I was intrigued and still confused, "yeah...?"
"Your moonroof just flew off and hit my car!"
I threw my hands in the air, "SHIT! Are you SERIOUS!" We pulled over. Sure enough my moon roof was stripped from the top of my car. The man was surprisingly nice considering there could have a been serious injury with Sapo's moonroof hurtling through the air at 80mph. Feeling embarrassed I wondered what was next.

Fast forward: my brother let me borrow his car for the duration of the night, which is an amazing thing to do- thanks brother! It was her last night and we wanted to give her a last hoorah and have a night out on the town. So, she was hungry for Mexican food. "Okay" I thought "clean slate." We drove out to Pasadena to a nice Mexican Restaurant I know, but somehow we took a wrong turn and got a tiny bit lost. After a little detour we finally found the place. Hooray! We pulled in. It had just closed. Boo!! So we looked up another place and we managed to eat dinner. It was great to be able to sit with her for anything that slightly resembled a date thus far! Unfortunately the place looked like a Motel 8.

I then planned to take her to my favorite bar in Silverlake. Once we got there there was a spot open in front of the bar. Fantastic! I parked and got out to open the door for her, but realize the curb had flaked red paint. "Ah, hold on, sweetie, we gotta park somewhere else," I said. I got back in the car and turned the key. Nothing. The car was dead! My brother warned me this would happen and said all I needed to do was wiggle a cable to turn the car on. Poor girl. She was reaching over the passanger seat turning the key as my body was halfway in under the hood. We couldn't get it started. Next thing I know a cop pulls up next to me and demands, "what are you doing here!" Before I can utter words that are somewhat coherent he barks, "you know it's a $300 fine to park here!" At this point I feel my heart and pride slowly slide down my chest into my stomach, and I proceed to explain the story. Next thing I know the cop has half HIS body underneath the hood tinkering with my brother's car! 5 minutes pass looking as comedically pathetic as I was until he got the car running. Luckily enough for us he was there to help out.

By the time we got to the bar, her eyes squinted and her mouth pursed to one side, "I'm a little tired." NOT what you want to hear when you're trying to show someone a good time. I have to hand it to her, she was a good sport for having to put up with it all. She had a refreshing sense of humor about it throughout. I caught a burst of energy, but at this point it was a little too late. The universe OBVIOUSLY didn't want this date to happen, yet I didn't give up easily. Funny thing, during the holidays she was my muse for one of my favorite songs thus far. Looking back on it, it's funny how it is completely fitting for what happened this last weekend. It was not written about her or for her, but maybe from her would be better put. And as the song suggests, some things you never can tell how they're going to end up no matter what your intentions are, or what you believe is there in the begining. But to discover if there is something on the other end, I'll take a risk. I may end up looking pathetic, but atleast I'll know for sure. At least that's what I tell myself.

The Wager

Stealing a kiss, I’m running the risk of getting punched in the jaw
But at the end of your fist might be the worth of all this, because I could be wrong

I’ll bet you just a single date that you might find instead of punching my face, that you can’t help wanting no one else. For me there is no privilege above
taking a hit for love

I playfully touch, you give a smile and a nudge. Well that went surprisingly well.
I’m testing my luck, cause rejection just sucks, but no one can ever tell, so...

I’ll bet you a year of steady dates we’ll love our quirks and all our silly ways.
And we won’t help wanting no one else.
There is no venture above discovering love

Oh, maybe someday
Oh, maybe someday

I’ll bet you a diamond ring
that there’ll be days we’ll
want to turn it all in,
But I won’t help
that I chose no one else.
There is no potential above
being able to love.