Onward Ho!

What a month! Let's start with our family vacation to Cape Cod. Unreal. Gorgeous house, beautiful area, amazing food, and of course wonderful people. I think pictures would do it more justice:

Apparently one side of the group didn't get the "silly picture time" memo, but that's fine with me.
Also, here was my contribution: White Sangria! Well, it looks more like orange sangria here, but that's because it was filled with orange, peach and mango slices. Will have to make it again, it was a hit. Almost as much of a hit as lobster rolls.

There were some late night charades, games of croquet, water balloon fights, and for some reason horseshoe crab head massages. Don't ask me why.

And then the obligatory pictures of my niece, she's basically the best thing since Pop Tarts.

One for the ages. Back in Chicago, we had the 4th of July which as usual felt like we were under attack. I'm talking straight up war zone. For some reason Logan Square in particular will smell like gunpowder for days, and that whole weekend had the constant sound of explosions in the streets and alleys. You may think explosions is an exaggeration, but I kid you not, these booms were LOUD. Like setting off the car alarms down the entire street. It was nuts.
Then there was moving out of my old place. It was sad, I really loved that place and my roommates. But everyone went their separate ways, and I moved down the street. How convenient! Here's my new address in case anyone finds some Bill Mueller paraphernalia they'd like to get rid of.

2433 N Central Park Ave Apt 1
Chicago, IL 60647

My new apartment is sweet, it's big and beautiful and clean and my new roommate is a nurse so next time I get bit by a dog she'll probably give me stitches instead of letting me just cover it with a sock.
My buddy Gregg and I played a gig together a while back, it was mostly ambient, slow, noisy, spacey kind of stuff. Just two guitars, some pedals and his laptop. It was lots of fun, you should be able to hear our rehearsal here. The show was good, but the venue was super, super hot so I don't think we sounded as good/comfortable. I literally had sweat dripping down my face, it was gross.
Randomly by old pal Dean V Colpack made it through Chicago on his hitchhiking adventure. We had lots of fun eating good food, drinking cheap drinks and playing cribbage.
Last Friday my friend Charlie invited my to play guitar with him on piano and another guy on drums. We were the backup band for a semi-improvised comedy show called "Christmas in July." I'd never done anything like it before but it was lots of fun, definitely a by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of thing but I really enjoyed it.
Then comes the big news: Drew Thomases got married! My high school buddy/former movie co-writer/house painter/poker aficionado got hitched in Ithaca, NY to a lovely lady named Jocelyn. I had met her once before, but the wedding was just beautiful. I was able to catch up with him and some old Boston pals. The ceremony was the perfect length, the weather was gorgeous, the food was divine, the drinks were plentiful, and the dancing was out of this world. Unfortunately I have no pictures at my disposal but I will do my best to acquire some of the professional and non-professional variety so that you may understand it better. The best I can do right now is the bride and groom performing some strange ritual I have never seen before.

And that about wraps it up! I seem to have lapsed in my book reviews, so here is a quick summary. Granted some of these I read months ago but no one will notice.
Brief Encounters with Che Guevara: very cool stuff, stories are fascinating and take place all over the world.
War Dances: dark, funny, loved it as usual.
God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian: interesting vignettes about Vonnegut himself meeting famous people in heaven then coming back and writing down everything they said.
The Fall: not an easy read, but interesting nonetheless. No one told me it would be one guy talking the whole time!
The Fifth Column and Four Stories of the Spanish Civil War: I actually really liked Hemingway's only play, but apparently it got panned back in the day. No one writes a war story like he did.
The Toughest Indian in the World: clearly I can't get enough Sherman Alexie. Although his short story collections are blurring together in my head, they're all great. I swear!
Bluebeard: another beautiful Vonnegut look at modern art.
Come to Africa and Save Your Marriage: bleak is a good word to describe these short stories. People, relationships, cultures, society, it's all quite bleak. And really interesting.

And finally, Bricklayers Foundation is playing a show tomorrow night! We are performing at Moe's Tavern (I kid you not) with our friends the Mainliners, it should be a blast.
As for what my future holds, who knows? Maybe a trip to Madison, maybe a trip to New Orleans, maybe a trip to the moon! Don't rule it out.

Great Success!

What a great concert! My piece "Pastime" was performed beautifully last night by some super-talented musicians, and my friend Gregg did a killer job conducting it. The space was amazing, and everything sounded perfect. I was just blown away. We also got to hear two wonderful pieces by my fellow Butler composers Zane and Will, "Obsess" and "Lonesome Voyage" which featured Carrie and Charlie. Not only did we get some fantastic performances but we had a phenomenal after-party at Maria's nearby with some excellent Mediterranean food to top it off. What a night. Thank you so much to everyone who donated to this project, and all my friends and family who helped me put it together.
Last month my calypso band got to play a gig in Kankakee, about 90 miles south of here. The weather was pretty crappy but we played some fun music, got to hang out with really nice people and eat delicious food. And I got payed to do it! What a life.
Other highlights include seeing the Tigers play the White Sox with my dad and friends at US Cellular field (love that place), seeing a show at Second City (very vulgar and hilarious), and seeing my roommate's brother's Delta blues band play a couple gigs. Other than that I was just focusing on putting this concert together and watching the occasional Bruins game while trying my best not to jinx them. Clearly everything I did worked! The pictures and video of the parade look amazing, it reminds me of watching the Celtics' parade from the window of my summer job three years ago in downtown Boston. Too cool.
Now I have a day to relax and decompress, then tomorrow night I am off to Cape Cod for a much needed family vacation. Can't wait to spend some quality time with my little niece and teach her how to pull down my brother's swimsuit when his back is turned and run.
I will try to post some pictures, sound clips or videos as soon as I can, and if you couldn't make it to last night's concert email me your address and I will mail the CD to you.

Update!

I found a new venue for my piece! Originally I was leaning towards the Merit School of Music, but after much consideration I have switched my allegiance over to the VanderCook College of Music. Its location is not quite as easily accessible, but everything else absolutely makes up for it. This new place has recording equipment, percussion instruments we can rent, bigger rooms, and is right across the street from US Cellular Field (where the White Sox play)! Very exciting. Also they are much more welcoming and supportive in general. This also means the performance itself will be the evening of Sunday, June 19th.
The weather is improving, finally. Maybe I was spoiled by last spring, but so far there have only been brief glimpses of beauty, mixed with lots of chilly overcastness. The barbecues have continued, they're just not as frequent as last year. I have faith.
Bricklayers Foundation has recorded 5 tracks in a friend's studio, it took about 9 hours but we got it all down. Still needs some mastering though, I'll see if I can post those when they're all done.
As for the Celtics, may they rest in peace. Another memorable postseason, not the end result we were looking for but that's the way it goes. Along with the Spurs and Lakers, we were next in line as the older teams make room for the young guns. Shaq simply was not the knight in shining armor we needed. I still think Rondo is a beast, and Paul Pierce should run for mayor of Boston. Now we can root for the Bruins! Apparently they play hockey for us, I had no idea. And the Red Sox have climbed out of their abysmal start, so that makes me happy.
A while back I finished I Married a Communist, pure Philip Roth brilliance. Painful, nostalgic, revolting, and wonderful. Now I am almost done with John Murray's "A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies," very technical at times with the science jargon but still emotional and fantastic.
Once again, thank you all for your donations and help with my kickstarter project, whatever stress I feel organizing this whole thing is nothing compared to the joy and excitement for it all to come together. I haven't forgotten about personalized thank yous and rewards, don't worry!
And as a last little surprise, here's something I found at a school I gave guitar lessons in. Small world.

Victory!

What a month. First off, my kickstarter was a success! Thank you all for your donations and help spreading the word, you guys are the best. Family, friends, family friends, I obviously couldn't have done this without your support. So far I have a conductor and a venue, I just need to lock down specific dates and times and then find performers. Very exciting stuff!
I've been lucky enough to see many great performances recently, one such treat was being able to see Michael Showalter perform in a bar near here. He's one of my favorite comedians, hilarious stuff, intimate venue, unforgettable night. We were able to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim like we did back in Indianapolis, with storytelling and libations and general jubilation.
My college buddy Matt Dresher came to Chicago for almost a week, so we had a killer time checking out the Field Museum, the Nature Museum, and generally just eating our brains out. Yes, I took him to my favorite spot (Flub a Dub Chubs), not only did he eat one of their enormous hamburgers but he also devoured a chicago style hot dog. The man is a legend. Of course we also sampled some delicious deep dish pizza. And in true college form, we hung out at my place, had a few beers, and watched two Richard Pryor classics: The Toy and my personal favorite Brewster's Millions. I especially like the baseball sequences and the subtle similarities to a Communist revolution.
There was Opening Day, normally a festive time for Boston fans but this year started off pretty horribly. Luckily things have gone much better recently, same goes for the Celtics and Bruins. We did get to watch Butler make another improbably run to the Final Four, followed by a disappointing loss to UCONN. Only two more championship losses in a row and they'll be called the Buffalo Bills of college basketball!
We got to see the robot opera, which is actually called "Death and the Powers." I enjoyed the music but the set and technology used were even better.
My buddies and I took part in an It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia trivia night, and came in close second place. Then I got to spend an evening with my other college roommate Zach Milner. We checked out the dive bar up the street, the chic whiskey bar, and ended our night at the famous Kuma's Corner for burgers and beers. More recently I've also sampled a polish buffet and a delicious seder dinner, but the crème de la crème was definitely seeing two of my favorite current bands perform: the National and Arcade Fire. Tickets were expensive, but both acts were fantastic and it was absolutely worth it.
The weather is finally getting nicer, we've had the rare beautiful day mixed in with lots of blahness. But last night we had our first barbecue of the season, and I can assure you a glorious time was had by all. So now I can focus on putting my ensemble together and having the best premiere ever!

Good Times

Hey people, sorry for the delay. A lot's happened since the great 'Zard of '11. First was Bricklayers Foundation's live performance at Strange Beauty Show Salon. We played some songs, had a great time, and got free haircuts in the process.

A while back I had another crazy week of music that was reminiscent of the good times at Butler. I saw the Civic Orchestra perform Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy, which just blew me away. I saw the Lyric Opera perform Wagner's Lohengrin, which was better than I expected, especially story-wise. I got to see the Met's version of Nixon in China in a movie theater (loved the music, the songs were pretty good). And then we heard a talk by this composer who wrote "'Death and the Powers' (2010), an opera with live electronics and robotics developed by the M.I.T. Media Lab." It sounded pretty intense, and actually starred the same guy who portrayed Nixon in the opera we saw the night before. What a week.
In other news I got promoted in my company, now I focus more on vacation clients and keeping everything running smoothly. And I got a blackberry. Weird.
But I still get to see a ton of cool animals, such as Hemma:

She's a super sweet, quite old bulldog who doesn't like walking. So I get to push her around in a stroller for a couple blocks, take her out to do her business, and bring her back. I got lots of strange looks, definitely some laughs, but I just kept whistling to myself because this dog is so nice. She also lives with a cat who always sleeps in/on a plastic bag, so clearly it's a progressive household.
The big news is I finally put up my kickstarter page! For those of you who haven't heard, I'm raising funds to get my thesis performed. It's my homage to a season of baseball entitled "Pastime," check out my page! Thank you to all who have already donated, if all goes well it should be awesome. And if I don't raise enough money at least I went for it.
I recently finished a collection of Gabriel García Márquez's short stories, some truly amazing works in there, although they're in chronological order and I think everyone would agree he got better with age. I just started I Married a Communist, and already Roth's style is somehow comforting to me. Well, as comforting as his books can be.
And lastly, the Strokes new album is coming out soon! If anyone is mildly interested in the band that completely influenced my life and taste in music from 2001 to the present, take a listen. There are some killer tracks in there.

There's No Business Like Snow Business

For those of you who haven't heard, Chicago had an insane snowstorm Tuesday night. It was awesome. I even got my first experience of thundersnow, which is not only a real thing but also a cool band name. We got somewhere around 18 inches of snow, and lots of people had work canceled (including me). So what do "adults" do when they get snow days? Start off with a killer breakfast of bacon egg and cheese bagel sandwich, of course:

Follow that up with watching cartoons, cleaning the house, organizing my room, and then celebrating Will's birthday the best way possible: with enormous delicious burgers and beers at Kuma's Corner!

That place is heaven on earth, no joke. Totally worth trekking through the feet of unshoveled snow. And what do I find upon my return home but a dead cat on my bed?

Ok, he wasn't dead. He just looked like it. For some reason he loves sleeping on my bed, and I couldn't be happier. But before this whole blizzard business I had a wonderful time with Charlie and Jeanne, eating oysters and other sea creatures at Shaw's Crab House/Raw Bar, and filling my belly with all things Greek at Santorini's. I've been fortunate enough to see some cool art, hear some killer music around town, sample some fantastic karaoke, and eat great food all over the place. What a city. If only I had friends to share it with...
Bookwise I finished Listen to This by Alex Ross, a collection of some great articles about all kinds of music. My favorite thing about him is that he treats all styles of music with equal reverence, and I completely agree. He draws comparisons across hundreds of years, never condescending or implying that older is better than newer or vice versa, or that an orchestra is better than a rock quartet or a jazz band or a poet with a guitar, etc. As Alban Berg famously said to George Gershwin, "Music is music" (This oft-used quote is also in Ross' phenomenal book the Rest is Noise).
I read a book about Bach's Cello Suites by Eric Siblin, intertwining a history of the composer and his manuscripts after his death, as well as Pablo Casals' discovery of them and role in bringing them back into the public spotlight, and for some reason the author's attempts at finding the original copy and trying to play them on his own. A little boring and reverential at times, but overall interesting.
Next came Slapstick, another Vonnegut book about a strange future. Not as good as his other works, but as always, enjoyable. I finally read Goodbye Columbus by Philip Roth, as well as the short stories that accompany it. Loved his detailed descriptions of life, the city, love, family, and of course, religion. Now I am in the middle of Look at the Birdie, another posthumous collection of Vonnegut stories. So far they're top notch. There was a time when I couldn't read short stories, something about the starting and stopping and always trying to get back into it, but recently they've been quite rewarding.
I apologize if my post-Patriots loss post went a little too far, I often overcompensate when I feel like punching my computer screen and try to convince myself it wasn't a big deal. All I can say is it felt so good to see the Steelers destroy those little snots. I don't know why we're supposed to hate the Steelers, they're a good team that focuses on defense, and they earned their Super Bowl trophies. Still, I hope Green Bay wins. Of course the Celtics are proving that teamwork is more important than age, and spring training is just around the corner!
Lastly, here's a quote I came up with:
"The stupidest thing you can do is to be content being stupid"
-Adam

Well that was fast

Goodbye Patriots. Once again our Boston heroes blew it. I'm just glad I'm in Chicago, away from all the negative writers and Debbie-Downers that control Boston. It was a great season, a lot of memorable games that were truly enjoyable. The Jets played better today, and that sucks. That's all there is to it. We had our chance. I'm just glad that the Steelers will beat them next week, and hopefully the Bears or Packers will go on to win the Superbowl. The Celtics are doing good things, and the Red Sox look to be stupid good next season.
But this loss had me thinking about the big picture, and the roller coaster ride that is Boston Sports. Let's just remember all the highs, like the Patriots' three Super Bowl rings, the Red Sox' miraculous run in 2004 and slightly less-awesome World Series title in 2007. And of course the Celtics' return to prominence culminating in a championship over the Lakers in 2008. All of those teams were amazing, and truly inspired all of Boston, not to mention all of New England.
But with every great victory there comes great tragedy, that's just a part of the game. Unless you want to be the Pittsburgh Pirates and lose every year (sorry Dad), the price you pay by having a great team and high expectations is you're also going to have some epic losses. We can start with the worst of the worst, '03 to the Yankees. Close second would be losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl, and third is losing to the Lakers in last year's Finals. I'd say fourth would be losing to the Colts in '07, followed in no particular order by losing to the Jets, Rays, Ravens, Magic, Angels, Broncos, and just for fun, Flyers (there's your one hockey reference). The timeless question is: do the victories make the heartbreaking losses worth it? And of course the answer is yes. Luckily we can block out some of those losses (I mean who really cares about the Broncos anyway). But some of our teams that lost in the postseason had incredible years, which of course are forgotten since they weren't #1. What's wrong with being #2, or #3? If Boston were in the Olympics, we'd have a ton of medals, some gold, more silver and bronze. And of course we'd display them all prominently, because they're awesome, and they show how much hard work we put into our teams. I apologize for this rant, but having a good team that makes it to the postseason should be reason enough to be a proud New Englander. Just be thankful you don't live in Cleveland.
And now, here are some things to take your minds off sports until the baseball season and NBA playoffs start:
First, this from Saturday Night Live.
Or, if you'd rather just mope, here's one of my favorite songs/scenes from a beautiful French movie called Cleo from 5 to 7.
And...here's a puppy I get to hang out with!

So what does New York have that Boston doesn't? Other than trains that run past midnight? We started a little thing called the American Revolution, have you heard of it? And maybe you've eaten some of our clam chowder. And had some of Samuel Adams' beer, yeah that's right, it's delicious. And...I guess some people enjoy Aerosmith and Matt Damon. But I think we can all agree the only good things ever to come out of New York are the Velvet Underground, the Strokes, and Manny Ramirez. Who's with me?