the story i find myself in

so i musy say death cab put on a spectacular show last night. and we were like 10 people away from the front of stage, on the left side. wow. and this venue is so great, the verizon wireless theater here in houston rocks, i hope some others roll through here. death cab did almost everything from plans, and through in some great from transatlanticism. a surprise was expo '86 - one of amanda's favs. and franz was cool, we were glad that death cab played first, then franz, we hung for about 4 songs of franz and then took off. so if you can get tix to this tour you definately should. i am currently at Ambient Digital Mastering in katy getting the cd mastered. yessssssssss! so now only the art and we will ship it off to get printed and pressed. we are mere weeks away....

Posted by ashdown at 3/31/2006 10:47:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

1) tonight i am seeing freaking DEATH CAB!!!! with my wonderful wifey 2) just finished reading the da vinci code 3) just picked up the secret message of jesus by mclaren 4) the marlow's are coming to visit tomorrow 5) tomorrow is my day off 6) just found out about damien rice/fiona apple tour this summer (see previous post) see, i told you.

Posted by ashdown at 3/30/2006 05:17:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

and this is proof. just hope i am close to where they are this jun/jul...

Posted by ashdown at 3/30/2006 04:59:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Posted by ashdown at 3/29/2006 08:33:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so it's sunday evening and it has been a great couple of days enjoying the end of amanda's spring break and the weekend. we finished our film diet this weekend. watched constant gardner (totally dug it) and good night and good luck (not so much). that's all...we are excited for this thursday night...yesssssssssssss!!!!!

Posted by ashdown at 3/26/2006 06:48:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

wes anderson. great stuff. the rest of the line up for the weekend: constant gardener good night and good luck kicking and screaming have i said that i love films!

Posted by ashdown at 3/24/2006 09:03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

you can check out 2 of the tunes here. enjoy!

Posted by ashdown at 3/23/2006 10:10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so last night after some great sushi (for the third night in a row!!!) we headed out to see: i am still digesting it. definately check it out. very thought provoking and i though the acting was spectacular. then today we stopped by good ol blockbuster and picked up wow. i can see why he won the oscar. hoffman was great. so great. see these films if ya havent already. i think my new favorite thing to do is watch films. i wonder what tomorrow has in store? and suggestions?

Posted by ashdown at 3/23/2006 03:23:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so we wrapped on the album at approx. 12.30pm today!! i can't believe it. what a great project is has been. wow. now i am waiting to schedule the mastering and then it will be off to be printed and pressed. look for the release post easter - and maybe a myspace coming soon for early previews....if my wife lets me...off to see a movie and chill.

Posted by ashdown at 3/22/2006 05:09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

the album is progressing well - yesterday was our last day of recording, we got some bgv's by the wonderful and extremely talented AMANDA ASHDOWN!! yessssss. they sound great. and other than that ryan has been hard at work mixing and editing. today will be a full day of mixing - i am excited to hear how these songs come together! then maybe one more day tomorrow of cleaning things up and ryan and holly take off at 6pm tomorrow evening. what a great time this project has been.

Posted by ashdown at 3/21/2006 09:22:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

vocals day two - in the books! looks like i am finished with all the lead vox for this album! what a great productive couple of days at andrew's place. here is my setup: and what i stare at all day: and here is ryan's setup: this morning we had joe come in and lay down some sweet double bass. it sounded amazing!! the ladies came by and joined us at the studio for a listen through and they were pleased with the work. i am so excited to get this project out to you all, definately my best work yet i think. hope everyone's bracket isnt busted as much as mine is...

Posted by ashdown at 3/18/2006 08:11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so if you enjoyed the chronicles of narnia rap on snl a while back, check this out: The "Color Me Mine" Rap. hilarious.

Posted by ashdown at 3/18/2006 11:34:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

day one of vocals: 3 songs done! (at least my parts) some good stuff today - we have been at andrew's place and it has been awesome. he has some incredible gear, including sweet mics that we have been using for my vocals, check out the one we have been using here. also, i found someone to master my record, his name is bob boyd, you can check him out and who he has worked with here. looks like he will be awesome. time to call it quits for today - time for some good ol guinness in honor of st. patrick! cheers!

Posted by ashdown at 3/17/2006 05:41:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

another smooth day in the books. just had to re-cut one of the acoustic tracks and then lay down some piano for 2 songs and we were done. ryan began pre-mixing for vocals today and i had to finish up planning for sunday. this process has been so great - i am really proud of these songs and i think they are sounding really good! hahha, hopefully you all like em! now this morning we are off to StudioA to begin vocals. this is where the fun times begin....

Posted by ashdown at 3/17/2006 08:23:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

a while back i picked up shane claiborne's book, The Irresistible Revolution and i have been reading it a lot lately. what a great read. he is the guy that helped start the simple way up in Philly. his writing style is very conversational and very inspiring. as he is telling his story i am so wrapped up in it. and it is helping me ask questions as well. when asked about what an average day at the simple way is, here is just a small snippet of the answer: "We preach, prophesy, and dream together about how to awaken the church from her violent slumber. Sometime we speak to change the world; other times we speak to keep the world from changing us." so beautiful. pick up this book and check it out. a gread read.

Posted by ashdown at 3/16/2006 07:49:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

much smoother day - started a little later, great idea! then we cut acoustics and piano for oh blessed god - i am loving the way this song in progressing. after that my buddy brent came in and laid down some bass tracks for 2 songs. sweet goodness. after a great lunch break at cafe express we headed back to record some mandolin and begin pre-mixing for vocals. all in all - a great day. and to cap it all off, a little BENIHANA!! yesssssssssss! ryan and holly had never eaten at this fabulous establishment so we went there. what a great idea. and now we are off to watch some episodes of The Office.

Posted by ashdown at 3/15/2006 07:49:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so after such a great day yesterday - i guess a frustrating day was in store for today. we cut the acoustic guitars today - and all the kids decided to scream and shout right outside of the sanctuary as well as the cutting of a metal fence was happening. so all that to say there were moments of a lot of outside noise, but in the end we were able to get what we needed. then we took a double dave's dinner break and then back to the studio to record strings. and it was a great session! we called it an early night tonight and are taking a later start tomorrow morning so ryan can attempt to catch up on central time...ha!! so the cd is coming along very well, cant wait for you all to hear it. time for bed...

Posted by ashdown at 3/14/2006 10:10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

today was another very productive day. aaron (the drummer) rolled in about 9am and we wrapped with him around 2pm. then bob (bass) came in and laid some sweet bass in on 3 songs and gave us the name of an upright bass player as well, which will be sweet on a couple of tunes as well! after that we re-cut acoustic for one song and did some scratch vocals and melodica as well. one of the songs for the album feels like it is almost done already! yeah!! so great progress and work so far...lets hope for the same tomorrow - i am re-cutting the acoustics and then strings in the pm. i leave you now with some photos from the day, enjoy!

Posted by ashdown at 3/13/2006 09:42:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

day one in the books...after a wonderful morning singing praises with the fpc family, we headed to the airport to pick up ryan and holly. after that, lunch at wonderful pappasitos, load in at the apartment and then off to begin the process. the ladies head to get some yummy treats at central market and ryan and i began assembling the studio at church. it took us about 2 hours to get it all set up and going, then a little diedrichs to get the blood flowing then we were off. we finished at about 8.15pm tonight - tracked 5 of the six songs for rough acoustic and rough vocals. good stuff. but we were ready to go back home and be with the ladies. so it is progressing well and will keep you posted as much as possible.

Posted by ashdown at 3/12/2006 08:53:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

wow...what a show last night! aqualung was fantastic but had a real short set - only 30 min. i wish he would've played longer. he did all the songs you would want him to do off of the strange and beautiful cd, but didnt do my favorite tune, 7 keys. oh well...hopefully he will be back around to houston soon. david gray was spectacular. he had a great band with him - his regular drummer and bass player - then a cellist, another piano/guitar player and a third guy in the back making all the cool ambient noises and such. i think the best part of the show was the lights for all the songs. seriously i was blown away - i had forgot how much of an impact lights can have on a show. wow. he did all the greats from white ladder, most of life in slow motion and for the encore did shine! i highly reccomed checking out this show if it is coming your way. wow. the only bad thing about last night is that amanda wasnt with me!! oh well, we are headed to death cab at the same place in about 20 days - that will be an amazing show! in other news, ryan and holly are headed our way on sunday and we begin recording my new cd sunday afternoon! woo hoo! i am soooo pumped about this album. the direction it is heading is great - great players for the album and i am most excited about working with amanda on this cd, she wrote one song and will be singing on a couple of tunes as well. yeah!! i will keep you all posted on the progress as much as i can, but life next week will be all studio! i guess the only bad thing about the cd is that when we take breaks we wont be looking out at the pacific...oh well...i guess houston will have to do for now...

Posted by ashdown at 3/10/2006 08:56:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

aqualung + david gray = sonic goodness! i cant wait for the show, the last time i saw mr gray was back in 2003 with my dogg ben. and the show was amaaaaazing. hoping tonight is just as enjoyable. look for an update here tomorrow...

Posted by ashdown at 3/09/2006 01:58:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

here are some photos from the evening: it was a crazy night!! the auctioning of the 1st pitch at an astros game went for $17,000, the villa in italy went for $19,000, and the wine cellar went for $9,000. there is noting like an open bar and a bunch of rich people. ha! look ma, i can tie a tie!

Posted by ashdown at 3/06/2006 07:54:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so at amanda's school one of the traditions is putting on this gala/auction to raise money for the school. items being auctioned tonight are like a week stay in a villa in italy, houston sports package with tickets to the rockets, texans, and astros, father-son weekend turkey hunt, a wine cellar (with like 100 wines), etc...you get the picture...so needless to say jasen needs to wear a tie. oh wait. i have no idea how to tie one...well, not after this morning!! just visit tieanecktie.com and you are set! i will be pimpin' the half-windsor knot tonight!! hahahha!

Posted by ashdown at 3/04/2006 09:11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

so i have a new office at work, and i totally love it. there is now enough space for me to leave my guitar out and set up a make shift 'studio' with my laptop and such. so today i spent the majority recording really rough versions of the songs for the album. i know it has been a while since i wrote about it, but things are coming along well. ryan and holly are coming to hang and work on the project in about a week or so...i cant wait!! and all the musicians for the album are shaping up well. should be a great time. also wrote another tune today - probably my favorite one. this whole process has been good for me, but also one of the hardest things i have had to do...hopefully ryan will be able to help me weed through all the crap i've written and maybe we shall come out with something cool...who knows... oh and it is like 80 degrees in houston and it totally sucks. i miss winter already. or what we had of winter.

Posted by ashdown at 3/02/2006 08:51:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so we just got back from the ash wednesday service...and honestly i am a little dissapointed. i guess my expectations were improper - but the service seemed very disjointed with little to no flow. and maybe it is just because i am used to non-traditional services, but it was just one thing after the next: a scripture, then a hymn, then the choir, then scripture, then prayer, then a devotional, then the ash, then we go. and there was a time of reflection, but not guided at all, just 'here is your time of reflection'. i guess it is hard for me to just go and experience a service without trying to overanalyze it, something i definately need to let go of...anyways, the most powerful time for me was when the ashes from last easter's burned palm branches were spread on my forehead and i was told: "remeber, you are dust and dust you shall return." i could feel the grittyness and harshness of the ashes on my head and i could feel the dust. i really connected with the dust imagery and it is still setting in...i am excited about this lent journey this year...

Posted by ashdown at 3/01/2006 09:30:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so one of the cool things about being at a traditional presbyterian church is the commitment to church liturgy. so tonight i will be participating in my first ash wednesday service. i cant wait to experience it. also, amanda found this sweet lenten prayer of st. ephrem. this shall be my prayer for lent as well: O Lord and Master of my life, Take away from me the spirit of laziness, hopelessness, Greed for power and worthless talk. Give to me, Your servant, the spirit of purity, Humility, patience and love. Yes, Lord and King, Grant me to see my own sins and errors, And not judge others. For you are blessed forever. Amen In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Posted by ashdown at 3/01/2006 07:56:00 AM | Permalink | Comments