Flag Day commemorates the day we, as Americans, officially resolved to change our image. We defined our colors and our symbols. We made a fresh start -- as a team -- and assured one another that we were all in; that we were serious about making this organization work.
That's kind of what Patch of Gravity did today. Our old drummer left the band today, but we're making a fresh start with Mike! And we're not looking back. There's no time to look back, and no reason to grieve. Today was our Flag Day. And it looks like it's going to be a HOT summer!

Sometimes life pushes you toward the unknown. Sometimes you don't feel like you're ready to take that first step. And that's okay. There comes a time when you just have to punch fear in the face and do your thing!
That happened to us this weekend. We were faced with the very uncertain task of introducing our acoustic duo project before we thought we were ready. And you know what? We weren't as ready as we'd hoped to be. But we played the show, we had a good time, and it seemed like we got some decent reviews from the people who were there.
We didn't die. We learned some great lessons. We had fun. And we saw a pretty clear path to how we're going to proceed with this thing!
If you don't step out of your comfort zone -- if you never push against the walls of your little box, you're not going to grow. 

I want to give a very special Mother's Day shout out to all of the beautiful Mothers, Moms, Mamas, Mas, Mommies, and Mamacitas in our lives! Much love to all of you! 

A lot has been happening with the band lately; we've added a few more performance dates and we're trying out an acoustic version of the band in order to play more music more often! We'll be doing an acoustic show at Bastards Canteen in Temecula on Memorial Day to pay honor to our Nation's awesome heroes who paid the highest price for our benefit. We've also added June 29th at Euryale Brewing Co in Riverside -- if you like beer and you like live music, you won't want to miss this event! Really. I don't know which one will be better; the band or the beer!

Wow -- that went by fast!
Some pretty great things happened in April; we played at a couple places we'd never played before. We met some awesome people. We participated in some really cool events.
We finally had the opportunity to play at O'Hara's and Bastards -- places we had always wanted to play! We met Susan. We met Didi, Tee and Dennine. We supported a great veterans' organization in a really unique guitar-building workshop.
So what's next? May is here, like tomorrow.
We've got a couple of weeks until the show at Baily's. We may have some other opportunities to play live in May as well. But there's not much down time in May. There's learning new songs. There's making new connections with people and supporting other local musicians. There's open mikes. There's swag to be made.
So we're pretty excited for all the stuff we've got going on in May!

April 15th: Tax Day.
Seems like a good time to stop and think about the whole idea of 'paying one's dues.' 
But what does 'paying your dues' actually mean? What does it look like? How will you know when you've paid them? Can you ever finish paying them?
Does it mean you have to play private parties and small gigs before you finally get noticed and get the cred you think you deserve? Not really. Remember, small clubs are where the magic happens -- they're fun, they're intimate, and they're memorable.
Does it imply that you have to be neglected and rejected by club owners until they finally give your band a chance to play? Not always. There are plenty of club owners looking for new talent, but they'll never notice you if you're invisible to them.
Does it mean you have to spend three nights a week at open mike events trying to connect with 'the right people?' No, not at all. You've got to realize that the 'right' people are all around you, all the time. And if you look, you'll find them.
Paying your dues is all about growth, improvement, and maturity. It's not about suffering, although it probably involves some self-sacrifice. It doesn't make any promises, even though it will always produce lasting results. And it doesn't mean 'compromise' as much as it means 'change isn't necessarily a bad thing.'
It's more like crawl - walk - run: you start out slow and awkward; then you develop some basic skills and life experience; then you make yourself better and more unique. And you keep running. You keep making yourself unique. You keep making people notice you; not for what you say, but because of what you actually do (actions speak louder than words, but that's a topic for another day).
And to think that some day you'll finally be on top because you've somehow paid your dues -- that's pure fantasy. It doesn't work that way. You never stop paying your dues, because the day you stop is the day you start to self-destruct.

Let's face it -- tech is cool! It's now. It's wow. It's sexy. Everybody wants to own the latest and greatest tech gear; from wearables to tablets to virtual to AI. And musicians are no exception. Over the last twenty years or so, we've been able to get rid of paper song charts in favor of digital song charts; we've been able to get rid of bulky music stands in favor of small, sleek tablets; we've been able to flip through all of our cheat-sheets hands-free while we're on stage. Tech is great! Except when it's not...
Don't get me wrong; I absolutely adore having my iPad on stage with me! I love having my song charts, notes, set lists, and metronome nearby and accessible. But I can't afford to rely too heavily on my tech. Tech can fail. Batteries can die. Something can always go wrong. If you're too reliant on your tech, eventually you'll be disappointed. Guaranteed.
If we're not careful with our tech, it can make us lazy musicians. Musicians who don't have to learn their parts; who don't have to know the songs. You know. Lazy. A wise man once said that if you don't master your tech, it will master you. Use your tech the same as you'd use any tool. It should help you get the job done, but it can't do the job for you.
Remember the Golden Rule of wireless? Always have a cable nearby in case you need it quick! It's about redundancy -- you should always have a backup in case something fails. We bring an extra guitar to gigs in case something goes wrong. We keep extra picks handy because we know we're going to lose them. We carry extra cables with us in case one goes bad. We bring an extra monitor in case our in-ears stop working.
Don't rely 100% on your iPad to get you through a gig. Know your material. Don't let your tech make you lazy.

I think it's funny that some people will only drive a Ford. Some people will always choose Coke over Pepsi. Some guitarists will only play a Taylor. I get it -- when you find a good product, you tend to stick with it. But the flip-side of that is missing out on other good products because you're so stuck in your ways.
Don't get me wrong; I love my Strats and my ES-335 hollow bodies and my Fender tube amps. But I also love my Squiers, Danelectros and Epiphones! Each piece of gear has its own voice and its own feel. One of the most beautiful-sounding instruments I own is a cheap, no-name Irish bouzouki I bought online -- no brand, all beauty!
Over the years, I've become a kind of anti-brand snob. The Taylors, the Gibsons, the PRSs don't even catch my eye anymore. The Helixes and boutique effects don't even attract my attention. I focus on the used gear or the cheap gear or the gear that's typically ignored by most musicians. That's because (and if you know, you know) your equipment is just a small fraction of your music; music comes from the heart, the mind, and the hands -- not from expensive gear! The idea that you have to own the most expensive guitar in order to express yourself musically is a complete lie that you've been fed by people who want to sell you expensive gear! Don't buy it (the lie or the gear)! Don't let someone else dictate what you want!
Play what you like, no matter if it's a cheap bouzouki or a $3000 Strat. If I can trust my gear; if I can afford my gear; and if I can express myself using my gear, I'm happy. I'll play my Ibanez. I'll drink RC Cola. And I'll be my own brand, thank you.
You should be your own brand, too.

My new favorite month is March. March 2024, to be exact. This month was crazy! We met some really cool people. We started making some pretty cool swag. We got booked for some awesome gigs beyond what we were hoping for!
Here's who we met: Kelly at Luke's on Front, possibly the coolest rooftop bar and restaurant in Old Town; Robert Rankin Walker from Heyday Productions, who epitomizes the mantra, "if it's not fun, don't do it;" Mike Magoo Davis from Taylor's Bar & Grill, a 90-year old establishment that's probably haunted; Rex at O'Hara's in Lake Elsinore, a groovy and historic roadhouse joint that's been around for years; Andy & Dave at the Blues Club, where the stage is impeccable and the sound is always on point!
We printed shirts. We designed and made some far-out mugs and tumblers. We even got some temporary tattoos!
But the absolute best thing about this month has been the gigs. We met with some genuinely great club owners and managers who have opened their doors for us to come in and rock the house! Next month, we'll be at O'Hara's. We'll be at Baily's. We'll be at Bastards. We'll be at Taylor's in July. Each and every one of these upcoming gigs is at an awesome venue, and we're really excited to finally show up on the public's radar!
I'm looking forward to April 2024 being my new favorite month...!

Okay, so I'll tell you why it's important to support local music. And to support local art. And support local activities. And support local just about everything!
You might have a long commute to get to work. You might enjoy going to Vegas or Big Bear or Ensenada, but where do you always come back to? Home. Home is where you live. And to be blatantly obvious, home is always local! You eat local. You shop local. Almost every tangible thing in your home life is local. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this -- local!
If you like your local restaurants, bars, wineries and nightclubs, you need to support your local musicians so they can keep doing what they're doing (or they can spend more time working on their music)!
If you're a local musician yourself, you know that there are other local bands and musicians who all want to play their music. If you think you have to step on other bands in order to get good gigs, you're thinking wrong. This is a win-win situation. There are plenty of venues to play, and plenty of local musicians to play them! It's all about finding your niche, and supporting and helping other musicians find theirs. Go see other bands when you can. Help other bands find the right gigs. If you have to cancel a gig, help the club owner find the right band for them.
We're all in this together, and there's going to be a time when we'll need some help from each other. The community of local musicians is relatively small; we've got to stick together!

If you follow politics, today is Super Tuesday. Even if you don't follow politics, it's Super Tuesday. But if you follow FOOD, it's Taco Tuesday --  I think that's the best kind of Tuesday anyway! 
People tend to get really passionate about their political ideas. But when it comes to food, nobody gets very angry about other people's meal choices. I think music is kind of like food in that respect; choose what you like, and let me choose what I like. There's room for everyone's opinion...
Look at the local music scene -- there's hard rock; there's metal; there's reggae; there's country; there's acoustic; there's jazz; there's pop; there's original music. There are plenty of choices when it comes to live music, and there's something for everybody! Just like tacos, there's crunchy; there's cheesy; there's rolled; there's fish; there's fried chicken; there's even choco-tacos!
Support local music. Eat some tacos. Lighten up and enjoy life.