Hello, my friends.
I just turned 32 the other day -- November 8th, if you want to be specific. As it turns out, it was also my twin brother's birthday, but since this is my blog, I'm going to talk about me, thank you very much. Get your own damn blog, Adam!
I kid because I love. And because it's fun.
My twin brother, Adam Huff, is actually an excellent bass player who will be contributing his considerable talents to my upcoming album. That's the secret to my success -- I surround myself with extremely talented people, and I exploit them shamelessly.
So...my blog has now reached over 700 views. I think that is awesome. I don't know if people are enjoying this blog or not -- I try to be informative, and funny, and, at times, thought-provoking. That's what I attempt, anyway. And I really hope that, if you nothing else, you find it entertaining.
But here's the thing -- I've gotten no feedback! None at all. But since people still view this thing, I'm going to keep going as I've been going until people tell me otherwise. I'm assuming that you like this. Bear in mind, though, that I love getting feedback! I cannot stress this enough! If you want to tell me something you like, something you don't like, something you'd like to see done different, whatever...drop me a line!
Just to see if this gets the ball rolling: aaron.gabriel.music@gmail.com There. Now you have no excuse.
My website is now in the 1100 visits area. That is also unbelievably cool. I apologize for the lack of recent updates -- I've been elbow-deep in editing, re-recording, stuff like that. It's mind-numbing, time-consuming stuff, but it isn't exactly exciting to talk about. Believe you me -- when something cool happens, you'll be the first to know.
As it is, I think I'm done with tweaking the various songs for the new album on my end. I'm waiting to add Merideth Kirry's vocals to a few songs (a very talented singer who also happens to have a crazy busy schedule), ship the songs off to Adam to add bass, and then start mixing and mastering. All in all, I'm quite pleased with how things are progressing.
My in-laws gave me a hand-made dulcimer for my birthday. I am very excited about this.
My wife and I are in the third trimester of our pregnancy! Things are looking good thus far, my lady is still feeling good and still dancing, and some friends helped us get our hanging bassinet set up. Only a few months to go, and the nervous excitement is really kicking in.
My parents celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary on the 7th. They are truly inspiring, and a great model to look up to -- my wife and I recently celebrated our 4th year of marriage, and now a baby's on the way. A lot of stuff is going down.
As I have mentioned time and time again, I am a big fan of the Thrilling Adventure Hour. Lately they've been taking questions from fans, and this most recent podcast included a question I had submitted! I felt very honored. Click on the link and take a listen. And while you're there, listen to their other podcasts, too -- you will not be disappointed.
As the new album gets closer to being finished, I'll be sure to release a teaser track or two to (hopefully) whet your musical appetite. And when the album's out, I hope you like it, because I'm rather fond of it...which is saying something, because usually I hate my own material.
Take care, stay safe, and in the words of Kevn Kinney: Life's too cheap for short wine.
Cheers,
Aaron
www.aarongabriel.net
The musings (and sometimes ramblings) of a poor, polite singer/songwriter that you've never heard of.
Showing posts with label anniversary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anniversary. Show all posts
Monday, November 11, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
The Ballad of the Flowery Trail
Today, October 10th, marks the 4th anniversary of my marriage.
Back in 2007, I was just starting to branch out with my music. As such, I was looking for various venues around the area to see if they had any open-mic nights or things of that nature. I happened across a small blip in the North Columbia Monthly about open-mic nights every other Friday at a place called Flowery Trail Coffeehouse in Chewelah, WA.
I had never been there before, but since I was living in Colville at the time, a 25-mile trip wasn't too much of a hassle. After a few failed attempts to find the place, I received directions from a very friendly elderly lady. I talked to Sally, the Flowery Trail's owner, about their open-mic nights, and she said that they had one coming up that Friday.
That Friday evening, I showed up, guitar in hand, and almost didn't go in -- there was a coffeehouse full of PEOPLE in there. People I didn't know! I've often wondered why I'm so interested in being a musician, because (more often than not) the thought of meeting people and interacting with people tends to fill me with dread. Regardless, I walked in, signed up, and quickly sat down somewhere in the corner.
There are two things I remember from that night:
1. The audience seemed to rather like me. I played a couple of covers -- at one point, before launching into "Play A Train Song," I asked the crowd if there were any Todd Snider fans there. When I was met with silence, I replied, "Well, in that case, I wrote this song myself."
2. There was a beautiful young lady there who really caught my eye -- not just because she was a looker, but also because when she walked, she didn't just walk, she glided across the room.
And so I thought, well, maybe there's something to this music thing, after all. Because, let's face it, 99% of the time, when guys want to be musicians, it's got nothing to do with musical ideals or getting some convoluted message out to the hungry masses -- it's about the ladies.
I was too nervous to talk to that girl that night, but I decided to go back. So, two weeks later, I returned with my brother Nick and his friend David as back-up. After all, if she wasn't a regular, I didn't really want to sit around all by myself. This particular Friday saw a major decline in audience: there was Sally, a few other people, and the girl and her sister. We got to chatting a little bit and I thought she seemed like a really nice girl.
Two weeks later I returned.
She wasn't there.
Well, my motivation evaporated pretty quickly to be there, but I dutifully played a few songs and commented to Sally how disappointed I was that the "really cute girl who was usually there" wasn't there this time around. Sally, perhaps somewhat jokingly, suggested I write a song about it. I laughed, said, "Yeah, 'The Ballad of the Flowery Trail.'"
So I did.
When I went back to the Flowery Trail, that "cute girl" was there, and I was suddenly terrified to play this song in front of her -- I really thought I was going to come across as a stalker. Happily, that wasn't the case, and at the end of the evening she let me walk her to her car, and I braved up and asked for her number.
And that was how I met Melanie. Married four years now, and our first baby on the way, due sometime around the end of January.
I didn't think that things like these happened outside of books and movies. I also know that I am a lucky, lucky man. I don't know what I did to deserve such an amazing woman, but I am well aware that I really, really lucked out.
And on that note, I'd like to share with you this very sweet love song performed by Paul F. Tompkins and Paget Brewster, as those merry married mediums Frank and Sadie Doyle, from the incredibly funny "Beyond Belief" segment of The Thrilling Adventure Hour. It's funny, a little sassy, and it makes me think of Mel.
As I type this she's playing "On My Own" from Les Miserables on the piano. It's very nice.
Thus endeth our origin story.
Bottom line: I love my lady. Here's to many more!
Cheers,
Aaron
www.aarongabriel.net
Back in 2007, I was just starting to branch out with my music. As such, I was looking for various venues around the area to see if they had any open-mic nights or things of that nature. I happened across a small blip in the North Columbia Monthly about open-mic nights every other Friday at a place called Flowery Trail Coffeehouse in Chewelah, WA.
I had never been there before, but since I was living in Colville at the time, a 25-mile trip wasn't too much of a hassle. After a few failed attempts to find the place, I received directions from a very friendly elderly lady. I talked to Sally, the Flowery Trail's owner, about their open-mic nights, and she said that they had one coming up that Friday.
That Friday evening, I showed up, guitar in hand, and almost didn't go in -- there was a coffeehouse full of PEOPLE in there. People I didn't know! I've often wondered why I'm so interested in being a musician, because (more often than not) the thought of meeting people and interacting with people tends to fill me with dread. Regardless, I walked in, signed up, and quickly sat down somewhere in the corner.
There are two things I remember from that night:
1. The audience seemed to rather like me. I played a couple of covers -- at one point, before launching into "Play A Train Song," I asked the crowd if there were any Todd Snider fans there. When I was met with silence, I replied, "Well, in that case, I wrote this song myself."
2. There was a beautiful young lady there who really caught my eye -- not just because she was a looker, but also because when she walked, she didn't just walk, she glided across the room.
And so I thought, well, maybe there's something to this music thing, after all. Because, let's face it, 99% of the time, when guys want to be musicians, it's got nothing to do with musical ideals or getting some convoluted message out to the hungry masses -- it's about the ladies.
I was too nervous to talk to that girl that night, but I decided to go back. So, two weeks later, I returned with my brother Nick and his friend David as back-up. After all, if she wasn't a regular, I didn't really want to sit around all by myself. This particular Friday saw a major decline in audience: there was Sally, a few other people, and the girl and her sister. We got to chatting a little bit and I thought she seemed like a really nice girl.
Two weeks later I returned.
She wasn't there.
Well, my motivation evaporated pretty quickly to be there, but I dutifully played a few songs and commented to Sally how disappointed I was that the "really cute girl who was usually there" wasn't there this time around. Sally, perhaps somewhat jokingly, suggested I write a song about it. I laughed, said, "Yeah, 'The Ballad of the Flowery Trail.'"
So I did.
When I went back to the Flowery Trail, that "cute girl" was there, and I was suddenly terrified to play this song in front of her -- I really thought I was going to come across as a stalker. Happily, that wasn't the case, and at the end of the evening she let me walk her to her car, and I braved up and asked for her number.
And that was how I met Melanie. Married four years now, and our first baby on the way, due sometime around the end of January.
I didn't think that things like these happened outside of books and movies. I also know that I am a lucky, lucky man. I don't know what I did to deserve such an amazing woman, but I am well aware that I really, really lucked out.
And on that note, I'd like to share with you this very sweet love song performed by Paul F. Tompkins and Paget Brewster, as those merry married mediums Frank and Sadie Doyle, from the incredibly funny "Beyond Belief" segment of The Thrilling Adventure Hour. It's funny, a little sassy, and it makes me think of Mel.
As I type this she's playing "On My Own" from Les Miserables on the piano. It's very nice.
Thus endeth our origin story.
Bottom line: I love my lady. Here's to many more!
Cheers,
Aaron
www.aarongabriel.net
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