EUPHONIOUS EXCURSION, PART 2

hi again. we're a few more days into the trip and have encountered a few more musical adventures. we were too busy to get to a show in los angeles, but my friend victor and i were able to play some new ideas for each other, something we hadn't done for a long time. victor and i were in numerous bands together back in louisville, most of which would perform unusually complex songs with 15-20 different parts that would normally last about 8-10 minutes apiece. we listened to a lot of slint and big black back then, amongst others. and the music that victor shared with me when we were growing up in louisville was very influential in shaping my early musical tastes. anyway, it was great to talk with vic about new ideas and what we were both trying to accomplish in our lives. and overall, we had a outstanding time in los angeles

after leaving l.a., we drove north to visit our friends howie and kate in berkeley. howie and i were also in band together when we both lived in north carolina. amazingly, he had recently acquired a number of free instruments from various neighbors who were moving away. the gratis items included a vintage gibson electric guitar, an amplifier, and a six-piece drum kit. aside from the already awesome nature of howie and kate's abode, it was exciting to see so many different instruments sitting around, ready to be played. and selfishly, it was really nice to be able to hang out in one room and be able to play a mandolin, a banjo, an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, and a drum kit again. on saturday, howie and i had time before dinner to play a couple songs together with me on the vintage gibson and him on drums. later that night after some apples to apples, howie and i stayed up and traded songs until about 2 or so. again, it was wonderful to play some songs with an old friend with such incredible knowledge and appreciation of music. between our time berkeley and los angeles, it was a tremendously inspiring week.