Phil Smith

Citi Field from Shea

2008-04-10T18:07:00.000-05:00

One last season at Shea.

Oh technology...

2008-02-29T18:38:00.001-05:00

Studio

2008-02-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

Presenting the 2nd Annual Rockin' for Tots

2007-12-03T13:07:00.001-05:00

2007-11-22T17:24:00.000-05:00

Guitar Hero

2007-11-08T23:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry for all the youtube videos lately, but this guy truly deserves even the smallest bit of recognition that I can offer here.

Coming soon...

2007-11-05T16:26:00.001-05:00

In the near future I hope to debut some "musical noise" on this here blog. I'm gonna go ahead and just skip myspace and bring it straight to the blog. There's definately some kind of "tuning-in" factor to a blog akin to a radio station. Myspace will be good for showcasing and displaying a catalogue of sorts, but I see some kind of future in introducing new music via blogs..

The days and weeks past have provided me with more than enough to think about and learn from. There is energy both positive and negative. There are feelings both happy and sad. There are questions with answers and those without. Some things have changed and some have not. Part of me is looking to the future, while part of me is learning from the past.

THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T20:52:00.000-05:00

John Lennon? Perhaps.

We Didn't Start The Viral

2007-10-27T10:26:00.000-05:00

This one goes out to anyone who has been watching viral videos for the past couple years.

He's the guitar man...(Sing to the tune of 'The Guitar Man' by Cake)

2007-10-20T15:00:00.001-05:00

No, I don't have to explain anything.

Eldar Djangirov

2007-10-19T14:34:00.000-05:00

I was at Irving Plaza last night to see an amazing band called MUTE MATH. If you do not know who they are you must check them out. Do a YouTube search for them.

After an adventure and a half trying to get tickets we finally got in. There were two opening acts, one of them being Eisley (another amazing band you should check out). The other, one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Eldar Djangirov is a true prodigy. I found a clip from Jimmy Kimmel.

PLEASE WATCH.

Step right up......and SEE SOUND!!! (featuring PROPANE!)

2007-10-17T21:49:00.001-05:00

i saw this at school today and absolutely HAD to show you....

twenty two

2007-10-17T21:24:00.000-05:00

Here I stand, with 22 years in the books. I wasn't really expecting this one to feel any different, but oh twenty two you surprise me. 10 is the first double-digit year. 13 and you're a teenager. 16 and you're suddenly a little bigger and have a learner's permit. 18 and you can vote and buy dirty magazines. You hit 20 and suddenly the teen years are gone forever. The big 'ol 2-1 and life "officially" begins with no restrictions. (I say officially because it's safe to assume nothing changed but the number for most of us.) BUT 22! Why does it feel so weird? The novelty that I walked with for a year of being 21 is gone. All the milestone years past had seemed meaningful somehow. The differences between each one were astounding to say the least. But suddenly I guess I feel grown up. Like the only milestone years left are more like markers. Markers like 30, 40, 50, etc. They're just there to let you know how old you're getting. I hope I pass those markers and realize down the road that they too have just as much meaning as the ones in the early years.

All I can do now is try to catch myself before I start feeling like I'm getting older. That would be bad. That could wreck havoc on the entire space-time continuum. I realize now that Twenty Two is when we're supposed to remember being young and growing up, and with those memories try to bring back the same excitement and enthusiasm about life that we once had in our innocence.

something in the way

2007-08-22T17:34:00.000-05:00

lately i've been alot of places in regards to my thoughts and feelings about music, the industry, the history, life, motivation, and who i am and how i fit into everything. i was sitting in a hotel in wyoming last month doing laundry in the middle of the night. i caught the foo fighters performance from live earth and it really got me thinking. thinking about a guy like dave grohl and what he was a part of, and how close he was to someone like kurt cobain. i started going through all my foo fighters music the past month. all of the sudden it sounded so different to me. i always like them, but i was hearing history or something. i was hearing more than just what was on the recordings. and today i was having lunch with my brother and talking about the beatles. so i was just bent thinking about how BIG some things can be for some generations. before i knew it I was at home digging up kurt cobain and nirvana interviews. I just started having flashbacks to when I was 8 or 9. I remembered exactly where I was when I heard that he killed himself. I was a little young then, but "In Utero," was the first cd I ever owned. It's funny how almost 14 years after his death his life and music are hitting me more than ever.

rest in peace kurt cobain

Melons are good, but Watermelons are the best of them all.

2007-08-17T17:34:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here on about hour 4 of writing an essay at Starbucks. I've only done this once before (come to Starbucks to concentrate and get work done). It's very expensive. I feel that I have to buy a drink to justify sitting down here to do work. However, after 3 hours I think it's only right to spend more money to continue occupying space here. So I get a fresh fruit cup and an "ethos" bottled water (goes towards helping children in poor countries get clean water). I also spent money to access WiFi! This should be free, c'mon! But I guess I didn't have to go and do that, but how can I spend this much time on a laptop and not be "connected" to the internet.

Th-th-th-that's all folks!

2007-08-12T09:16:00.000-05:00

That's a wrap. The tour has come to an end in Pittsfield, MA, performing ironically at a "Bandcamp!" I had a truly satisfying trip around the country. I was finally able to see sights other than Long Island, I-95, and Disney. Now, more than ever, I am looking forward to going out and doing this with a band where I can be the one performing. Let's see how soon we can get this going.

Welcome to Texas........Now leave or I'm calling the cops!

2007-07-22T12:01:00.000-05:00

This is the picture of the Hampton Inn from Fort Stockton, Texas. Home of Harry Gandhi. (Really, that's his name, I'm not poking fun!!)

I have to tell you all about my first experience in the Lone Star State. After driving 12 hours from New Mexico through the most dark and empty roads I've ever seen in my life we arrived at our hotel in Ft. Stockton. It was about 1 AM and we were all exhausted. But before we went to sleep everybody makes the usual phone calls to loved ones and checks e-mail and whatnot in the lobby. I was on the phone as I walked into the business room to use the computer when I was sharply interrupted. To my surprise there was a short fiery indian man calling at me as he walked out of the housekeeping room in some rather dirty attire. He started harassing me, saying something to the effect that I was "banging" his hotel. This is when Steve, who sleeps on an air mattress every night, walked up to the man unknowing of the situation and kindly asked for an extra blanket. The man's eyes lit up with rage as he demanded to know how many people were staying in our room, and "tell me their names!" Within minutes this shab of a man named Harry Gandhi came forward as the hotel owner and demanded we leave. Apparently every Hampton Inn in the country will let us sleep 5 in a room except for Harry's hotel in Fort Nowhere, Texas.

Since he wouldn't let us stay in the lobby to find another hotel, and the fact that he had made several threats to call the police, we were officially kicked out of the hotel.

Metal Skool changed my life.............and some more mountains and rocks.

2007-07-18T14:21:00.001-05:00

This past Monday was one of the coolest experiences of my life. Bandcamp played with Metal Skool at the Key Club on Sunset in LA. For those of you who don't know who Metal Skool are, imagine Poison, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and Journey all being embodied by Spinal Tap. Every Monday night at the Key Club these guys put on a crazy show. They play all this 80's hair metal and constantly entertain and interact with the crowd. They also will invite whatever celebrity/musicians happen to be at the club up on stage. We got to see "Don't Stop Believing," by Journey featuring one of Journey's ex-Lead Singers. (Gotta find the name for ya, oops) Here's a clip I found on YouTube of them bringing David Bryan, the keyboard player from Bon Jovi up on stage.

Here's those rocks and stuff I promised.

Some more amazing shots coming up on some big mountains. I did a bad job at keeping track of what pictures were taken where. I'm pretty sure these are in Wyoming, if not maybe Utah.

I know exactly where this was take though. This picture was taken on the way from St. Georges, Utah to Las Vegas. We drove through a small part of Arizona on the way, and I must say it was some of the most incredible rocks I have seen yet.

I'll be putting up some photo albums with all the pictures soon. Well maybe not all the pictures since I've already taken about 700 and still have another 5,000 miles of driving ahead of me.

First glimpse at the Rockies

2007-07-12T12:35:00.000-05:00

There were a couple near-sightings that turned out to be clouds on the horizon, but I don't think these are clouds this time.

There they are, right outside the hotel window.

Today we're off to Boise, Idaho. The trip is pretty long, about 12 hours or so. We have the day off today, so we'll split it up between today and tomorrow. I'm sure we'll see lots more of the Rockies along the way, so stay tuned for more photographs.

The Earth is Flat (and has lots of corn)

2007-07-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

One of the many pictures taken through the van window.

I think I'm becoming a decent amateur photographer. I have no fancy camera or knowledge of what I'm doing, but I've managed to take some nice shots of the band.

What's wrong here?

2007-07-06T21:14:00.000-05:00

Girl, 11, charged with DUI after high-speed chase

ORANGE BEACH, Alabama (AP) -- Police who chased a car for miles along a highway at speeds up to 100 mph said the driver was drunk, hardly a rarity in this resort town. But there was more: When they looked inside the flipped vehicle with guns drawn, they found an 11-year-old girl at the wheel.

"You go up there thinking it's a felon you're dealing with," assistant police Chief Greg Duck said.

The girl, who was slightly injured in the crash, is now charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding, reckless endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident. Duck said she sideswiped another vehicle during the roughly 8-mile chase.

The chase began around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday when a patrol officer near the Florida line saw the car speeding west along a beach highway, Duck said. When the officer flicked on his lights, the driver sped up. The girl rolled the car just inside the Gulf Shores city limit.

Duck said the girl, whose name was not released because of her age, told police she was on her way to pick up her sister at a concert.

Investigators found no alcohol in the car but believe the girl drank before getting behind the wheel of the car, which belongs to relatives.

Duck declined to release the girl's blood alcohol level but said a blood test at the hospital showed it was higher than .02, the legal limit for minors.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Which is worse? The fact that this was an 11-year-old girl or the fact that a limit for minors even exists?!?

Indiana: Patriotism and Firework Warfare

2007-07-06T09:06:00.001-05:00

So just before the 4th of july we stopped and picked up some fireworks. We got some from two different places in Indiana, both of which the people there were more than willing to dump as much free extras in our shopping bags as possible.

After the show in Plainfield, IL, Bandcamp played an amazing prank on the guys from Permanent Me. Luckily we had some video compiled in no time and I can post it here for your enjoyment. Don't mind the video being a little dark, it's the best we could do.

Credit to Kris from Bandcamp for the great video editing.

The next day on the 4th we went out to dinner and had Chili's (A nice treat from Taco Bell and the usual). Afterwards it was off to find a place to launch the big artillery (NOT HARD TO DO IN INDIANA). We stepped outside Chili's and it was only of matter of which way we wanted to go, as there were fireworks exploding in every direction. We drove across the street and into a residential development looking for a spot to light our fireworks off. We came across a big field where everyone was. Let's just say WARZONE! I have never experienced anything like this before in my life. Fireworks were being launched EVERYWHERE!! You would light a firework and runaway only to be running straight towards other fireworks being set off. Things were blowing up all around us. It was scary to say the least, but a TON of fun.

After that the night went extremely downhill due the purchase of Deal or No Deal the board game. A word of advice, watch the show and don't buy the game.

If you want a good game buy Mario Baseball for Gamecube.

Bandcamp Tour: Days 1-4

2007-07-02T09:55:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Ohio here on the 4th day of this summer tour. So far this has been alot of fun, and looks like it will get better as we go. There's already been a few real bonuses for this run, such as being with another great band for a string of dates (Permanent Me), and Mario Baseball on gamecube in the van. Bandcamp are a great bunch of guys and are alot of fun. (Not to mention, their not that bad.)

Here's the list of dates for this tour if you're wondering where I'll be:

7/1 Warren, Michigan
7/2 Cincinnati, Ohio
7/3 Plainfield, Indiana
7/5 CHICAGO (Midlothian), Illinois
7/6 Quincy, Illinois
7/7 LaCrosse, Wisconsin
7/8 Minneapolis, Minnesota
7/10 Kansas City, Missouri
7/11 Colorado Springs, Colorado
7/13 Boise, Idaho
7/15 Downtown Fullerton, California
7/16 Los Angeles, California
7/17 San Luis Obispo, California
7/18 Phoenix, Arizona
7/19 Albuquerque, New Mexico
7/21 San Antonio, Texas
7/22 Waco, Texas
7/27 Pittsfield, Massachusetts
8/8 New York, New York
8/9 Boston, Massachusetts

For more info about any of these go checkout Bandcamp on myspace.

Right now I'm in a hotel in Ohio waiting to leave for a 3 1/2 hour trip down to Cincinnati. Check back here, as I'll be posting pictures and possibly video of my experience.

Ciao

the countdown...

2007-06-28T17:35:00.000-05:00

I haven't been on here much since I started this. Mainly in part to the fact that I just haven't had much going on that I felt was worth blogging about. Since last we met, the band I was in "Grieving for Grace," has disbanded. Due largely in part to the effects of life on four different people. I leave the group with an even more intense desire to succeed in this industry.

Which brings me to my next point......Don't do crack! (Not where I'm going with this, but really you shouldn't.)

Being that this happened in late spring there wasn't going to be much chance of getting another band together in time to embark upon any summer-like activities, such as touring. So, in an effort to just get out there and do something I hooked up with Bandcamp.

I leave in less than 24 hours to go on tour with Bandcamp for a month. The twist here is that I won't be playing guitar. I'm just going for the ride. I'm basically a roadie, as I'll be handling alot of the driving and helping out. I have toured in the past, but never on a long run like this. I have also never been more west than Pennsylvania either.

I'll be posting blogs from the road, sharing pictures and stories to keep you updated.

Talk to you in a few hundred miles.

Xtreme Body Fitness Center

2007-03-28T15:33:00.000-05:00

its time to get in shape for the warm weather. if I plan to be any match for the hunkish members of globo-gym overwhelming the long island shores i'll have to take action now.

luckily I found a gym that advertises that it is exclusively for couch potatoes.

it also has dance dance revolution hooked up to a 120" projection screen. pretty sweet.

i don't like mondays

2007-03-26T19:45:00.000-05:00

At this point in my life I seem to associate Monday's with normality, and its a constant reminder of being stuck somewhere in between. I say in between in reference to a set of distinctly different lifestyles. One of these being the dream, and the other being the working man 9-to-5 route. Now I'm born to be the working man, and had I not found music I surely would have been ushered into Local Union #3 as an electrician like my father. The trick now is getting away from the daily grind and shifting the balance towards what I've wanted to do since I was 11.

At 11 years old I realized that the electric guitar wasn't just something mythological. It didn't only exist in pictures and music videos. They actually existed, and for whatever reason it dawned on me that having one of these contraptions was not that outlandish. It had hit me, the only thing between me and a guitar was a little sweet talking to ol' grandma. Now this amazing woman, with more faith than anybody should ever have in an sixth grader, was in. I also wouldn't be the first in her line of descendants to wield this six-stringed beauty. She had two sons (my uncles), who also played the guitar growing up. This was irrelevant in gaining her support though, as she is a beautiful person that just loves helping people and seeing people happy. So thank you grandma for backing me in all my begging in pleading to family members both immediate and extended
for contributions toward such a worthy cause.

Now the inspiration for wanting to get a guitar came from a few different places. I'm probably missing something, but without a doubt there are three distinct reasons that are strong in my memory.

The first and foremost is my Uncle Tom, who seemed to always have a guitar in his hands when I'd go to visit. He is an inspiring guitar player. Not really trained, but self-taught. Also not very flashy or technically advanced. However, the gift was in the heart and feel. I sensed that really young and it remains something that inspires me to this day.

Secondly, I have no idea why this of all things this makes the top 3 reasons for me wanting a guitar, but its the movie Camp Nowhere. I loved this movie in elementary school. I find that alot of people don't remember it. But here's a quick synopsis. A bunch of young teens and tweens are being sent unwillingly to sleep away camps by their parents. The camp types consist of weight-loss camps, a military type boot camp, & a computer camp among others. The kids are none too thrilled, as they devise a plan to pool all the money before it gets to the real camps and create their own camp in which they recruit none other than Christopher Lloyd to help run it. Great movie, horribly over-explained plot, sorry. Here was the point....one of the kids at the camp was playing the star-spangled banner on an electric guitar through a half stack. Sounded so cool! I had to do that!

And the other reason, and I don't think you can blame me.....and I'll keep this one short. Back to the Future, Johnny B. Goode.

I hope this explains me a little better than the picture from my introductory post.

I feel like blogging

2007-03-25T16:43:00.000-05:00

I'm not quite sure what made me feel different about this than any other day, but today [insert title of blog here]. Not sure if it's a call to gratify my need to find an alternative creative outlet or if I just feel that it's time to participate in the ever-so-popular blogging trend.

Well, regardless of why I'm here, just a few keystrokes away from beginning this new kind of 21st century relationship with an open-ended number of readers let me introduce myself.........