At Week's End

Girl, I'll soon be leaving
I won't be in town for a while
But out on the road, you know
Oh, you know I'll be dreaming of your smile
True, I'll be lonely
But if you're at home waiting for me
I'll be back in your arms at week's end

It's not as bad as it seems
And it'll soon be alright
There's a place on the other side of slumber where we'll meet
Where I can hold you all night
I'm not glad to be gone
But we won't be alone for very long
I'll be back in your arms at week's end

I could be riding the railroad
Or singing these blues in my sweet home Chicago
I could be sitting in a cheap motel
With nothing but a guitar and a picture to hold
And, yeah, that might do for now
But it don't move me way deep down
I've done nothing but miss you, baby
I hope you know that I speak the truth

I get so weary
Of these miles flying by
But I forget the ground beneath me
When I think of your pretty eyes
I've still got some way to go
Through a couple of towns I don't know
But I'll be back in your arms at week's end

I could be riding the railroad
Or singing these blues in my sweet home Chicago
I could be sitting in a cheap motel
With nothing but a guitar and a picture to hold
And that might do for now
But it don't move me way deep down
I've done nothing but miss you, baby
I hope you know that I speak the truth

I get so weary
Of these miles flying by
But I forget the ground beneath me
When I think of your pretty eyes
I've still got some way to go
Through a couple of towns I don't know
But I'll be back in your arms at week's end

Under the stars, this moment is ours -
Slipping so far from the real when we feel we are one;
Just look how far we've come.

The look in your eyes says that all of my life has been worth it -
My loneliness is forfeit;
Just look at the love that's begun.

"Elizabeth"

Gibson signature "Johnny A." electric guitar model [$6,539], stripped of headstock signature and further customized with a more fiery sunburst finish, added floral splash decals and namesake in a bold script.
One day, this baby will make all my other guitars jealous.

Hello blues.

It's been a month since my last lesson with Jeff, but it would seem I'm doing pretty well teaching myself. I just figured out a nice trick for getting B.B. King's tone, and a beautifully simple method for figuring out his blues licks.
I also have no life, with practically no human interaction; since the end of the fall semester, for the most part it's just been me and my guitars and my music in my room.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

My sound is getting a lot more bluesy. I've found my perfect tone.
I've been finding a lot more partners lately to take into the studio.
My amp and guitars are spitting out tunes more beautifully than ever.
I'm almost ready to come out of hiding and show everyone what I'm made of.

Just Another Day

Waiting in a circle for the new year
And it feels like nothing's changed
Seems like just another sleepless night
And the dawn of just another day

Of all the nights I've wished that you could be here
The emptiness tonight is kind of strange
'Cause the fireworks on TV set this room alight
And all the people holding flutes of cheap champagne

Yeah, we're all a little warm
And the drinks have got us all in one mind
But I'm just feeling tired and worn
And this fire is eating at me from the inside

At the stroke of midnight
I'll turn to where you're missing from my side
As the countdown ends, I'll try to flash a smile;
I'll bow my head and kiss my hopes goodbye.

Oh, I'll be saying goodbye again
I'll be saying goodbye again
Goodbye again
Goodbye again

At the stroke of midnight
I'll turn to where you're missing from my side
As the countdown ends, I'll try to flash a smile;
I'll bow my head and kiss my hopes goodbye.

EMILIOVELEZMUSIC.COM -- the designs so far.

This is my preliminary design for the home page of the website. Check out a my programmer's test version here.

This Is It.

Well, this is it -- now that that the fall semester is over, all that's left on my agenda is the release of my website.
It's time to crank up the volume, refine my sound, get together with a few backup musicians, and start booking the EMILIOVELEZMUSIC.COM Site Release Tour!
(note: this will still take a while.)

For those interested in following my tour, I'll be booking New York City venues only (my budget doesn't allow for a tour extending to Chicago yet -- maybe next time, folks!), and I'll be sure to post a list of events when I have one ready.
The goal of the tour is to raise money for the programming fees of my website, EMILIOVELEZMUSIC.COM, and hopefully I can set everything up so that the money adds up properly and my tour ends on the site's release date.
I'll keep you all posted!

--- EV

P.S.: Be ready for a launch party when I start the tour; anyone able would be coming to the first event of the tour, with me, immediately after the party. See you then!

Buckle Up.

TODAY
The fall semester's last day of classes, and my English final. It shouldn't be much of a problem; my professor said that we can practically bring in a whole first draft for the essay, and she won't count it as cheating as long as it's in outline form.

TOMORROW
Making the last preparations for a talent show being hosted by the QCC Music Society on Saturday. I'll be performing "I Don't Need No Doctor", playing lead guitar, with a band I tossed together (bass, keyboard, and drums), and I have a climax in mind that involves heavy use of my loop pedal; if I'm going to nail it, I need to practice my timing.

SATURDAY
The performance. Sound check starts at noon, and runs until showtime at 2.
Outside of the Music Society's meetings every Wednesday, I haven't had any time to jam with my band (due to scheduling conflicts), but I've given them all copies of the song, and emailed them the chords and such. Hopefully they pull through. We did pretty well at the last meeting.


[next] TUESDAY
French final. I'm mostly covered for this one, but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to use my spare time and over-prepare.

[next] WEDNESDAY
Psychology final. The list of material I have to study for this test is almost two pages long. Oh, joy.

AND THEN....
Freedom.
It's looming on the horizon. Sure, there are a few tough stretches before I get there, but there's not really much I can do but buckle up and barrel through.

In the name of Progress -- whatever that is.

It's been bothering me lately that my progress on guitar is a stop-and-go kind of thing. When it comes to learning about theory and songwriting, I've grown familiar with the tools and devices my teacher has introduced to me -- I know their names and how they work -- but my growth is still stinted by a weak theoretical ear and an inability to apply what I've learned to practice. I can't listen to a progression and say, "oh, that's E , F#m7add11 , G#m7#5 , G#7, C#m, A,"(a tune I wrote last month); neither can I sit down to write a song and decide to toss in a modal interchange, followed by the root's relative minor. Somehow, I write songs that are theoretically elaborate and properly structured, but it's never on purpose, and I can't rely on accidental ingenuity when I hit writer's block.
This is where I realized that my approach to learning isn't very driven. I'll sit down and practice for several hours on end -- sometimes all through the night -- but I've never really taken much care to listen to what I'm playing, in the theoretical sense. I'm simply playing, producing sounds with no clue as to how they relate to each other. On occasion, I'll discover something that sparks explosive creativity, and I'll churn out song after song for a week or two...but I'm developing a definite sense that there's something hidden under all of this. When I write down the music that results from these surges, the material is always drastically different from what I've written before; I'll break down the songs and discover that they all have a certain theoretical element in common that was absent from my old work.
So here's my revelation and my goal: if I make a conscious effort in my practice to apply what I've been learning -- I call this experimenting with direction -- I can generate the same "eureka!" moments at a much more rapid clip, and if I run into a dead end I can always move on to applying the next lesson.
My music is about to undergo a huge transformation...and the method is so obvious that I feel almost stupid for not realizing it sooner.

emiliovelezmusic.com

My official website is (officially) in the works!
I gave my initial layout sketches and functional notes to Mr. J, who in turn passed them along to our coding expert Matt Lo. I have an appointment with Matt tomorrow to discuss the finer details and give him a better idea of how I want the semi-user-generated event calendar, news feeds, video and audio clip galleries, etc., to operate -- and hopefully find some ways to make his job easier.
Even considering that I've just been cut an amazing deal and this guy is saving me a lot of money, I am faced with quite a price tag.
But, regardless, it should be no problem. I talked with my good friend and fellow guitarist Richard Ramos yesterday, and in a few days' time we'll be on an errand run to venues across New York, scheduling events that we can play in order to pay for the site.
Also, another way I'm cutting cost is looking for web development tools online, so that I can format a chunk of the website myself, and copy and paste the automatically-generated code to send to Matt, so that he is spared the work of designing and writing it himself.
Here's a sneak peek at some of the web development tools I'm considering for the creation of my site's photo gallery:
http://developer.cooliris.com/?p=embed/quickstart
http://www.simpleviewer.net/simpleviewer/
http://www.simpleviewer.net/tiltviewer/app/

Stay tuned for more updates!

On The Rise

Tomorrow I'm meeting with my old creative writing teacher, Mr.J, to begin work on my official website.
I'm also meeting with my photographically-inclined friend, Johnny Wolf, for a photo shoot.
Then, in the near future, I have my pick of Mr.J's producer buddies, with whom I can finally record some of my music for the site.
Also, I'm scheduled to perform my music publicly at 3 events before the end of this year.
This all fell into place in the course of a week.
I've recently been stocked full of connections in all worlds that can help me take my music to the next level. This may actually be the start of a career.

So...college.

I started classes at Queensborough Community College this past week. And I have to say, I think it's amazing. I lucked out and got good professors; I'm taking classes that genuinely interest me; I have long breaks between classes, during which I can relax and play guitar on the Quad (or do work, if need be); and the greater majority of people I've met on campus are mature and intelligent.
It's encouraging to be here. (My only complaint is that the books are back-breakingly expensive.)

A Blues Kind of Mood (A Song In The Night)

I trust my soul to these strings
And they give it wings;
I trust what's left of my heart
To this sweet guitar
And though she may love me back
It's not quite what we had
And I'm left wond'ring:
Where are you?

'Cause I have these moments in the early morning
When I haven't gotten sleep all night
And I'm losing my will and my way
And I'm sinking and losing my fight with that feeling
Since you've been gone.

One More Song [Firework Over the Freeway]

Hanging out on those old wooden bleachers
We all sang the farewells to our youth
And the fireworks lifted us up above our blues

We finish a song and raise our bottles
Start another and kick them back again
And that's when I call a toast for all my closest friends:

Here's to infinity
Here's to the life we lead
Here's to these nights I never want to put behind me

As the sun sets on today
And sets our sky aflame
We know that come tomorrow, we will never be the same

But I don't want these carefree days to go away

So we'll put on one more song
'Cause we're 18 and the night's still young
We'll keep this town awake until we're done
Sing it out:

Here's to infinity
Here's to the life we lead
Here's to these nights I never want to put behind me

As the sun sets on today
And sets our sky aflame
We know that come tomorrow, we will never be the same

But I don't want these carefree days to go away

Do you remember that old abandoned pier
Where we used to hang at night?
The sound of water and the distant Midtown lights

We'd swap bittersweet nostalgia
Wondering what might lay ahead
And that's when I'd call the toast for all my closest friends:

Here's to infinity
Here's to the life we lead
Here's to these nights I never want to put behind me

As we look out on the waterway
We feel this moment slip away
And we know that come tomorrow, we may never be the same

No, we can't let the memory fade --

Let's put on one more song
'Cause we're 18 and the night's still young
And we'll keep this tired town awake until that song is sung!

Here's to infinity
Here's to the life we lead
Here's to these nights I never want to put behind me

As we look out on the waterway
And the sun sets on today
We know that come tomorrow, we may never be the same
No, we may never be the same

So let us wish these carefree days won't go away
Let us wish these carefree days won't go away

A Painting Awaiting Completion

As I write this, I'm on the wooden bench in my backyard, waiting for the sun to rise. Lit citronella candles are all around me; I'm wearing comfortable pajamas and draped in a blanket, sipping from a steaming cup of strong coffee.
This is one of those moments when all the world seems to be put on hold: no worries, no problems -- I'm almost tempted to hum 'Hakuna Matata' -- and life actually takes on a feeling of peace. It's a painting awaiting completion, however; the icing on the cake would be having someone to share it with (remember that weekend?) -- but! -- this is one of those moments where I can smile and whisper to the stillness of dawn, "Life is good," and all is well. And even if it isn't, it will be some time soon.

A few songs that come to mind, that this moment really deserves:

"Come Away With Me" -- Norah Jones
Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus
Come away with me where they can't tempt us
With their lies

And I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won't you try to come?

Come away with me and we'll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you

And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me

"Dogs" -- Damien Rice
She lives with an orange tree
The girl that does yoga
She picks the dead ones from the ground
When we come over

And she gives
I get
Without giving anything to me

Like a morning sun
Like a morning
Like a morning sun
Good good morning sun
The girl that does yoga
When we come over
Girl that does yoga

He lives in a little house
On the side of a little hill
Picks the litter from the ground
Litter little brother spills

He gives
I get
Without giving anything to me

And the dogs they run
And the dogs they
And the dogs they run
In the good good morning sun

Side of a little hill
Litter little brother spills
Side of a little hill

Oh and she's always dressed in white
She's like an angel, man
She burns my eyes
Oh, and she turns
She pulls a smile
We drive her round
And she drives us wild
Oh and she moves like a little girl
I become a child, man
She moves my world
And she gets splashed in rain
And turns away
And leaves me standing

She lives with an orange tree
The girl that does yoga
Got a wolf to keep her warm
When he comes over

She gives
He gets
Without giving anything to see

And the day it ends
And the day it
And the day it ends
And there's no need for me

The girl that does yoga
When we come over
The girl that does yoga

"You Belong To Me" -- Jason Wade
See the pyramids around the Nile
Watch the sunrise from the tropic isle
Just remember darling, all the while
You belong to me

See the marketplace in old Algiers
Send me photographs and souvenirs
Just remember when a dream appears
You belong to me

And I'll be so alone without you
Maybe you'll be lonesome too

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember till you're home again
You belong to me

Oh I'll be so alone without you
Maybe you'll be lonesome too

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember till you're home again
You belong to me

"Something Fine" -- Jackson Browne
The papers lie there helplessly
In a pile outside the door
I've tried and tried, but I just cant remember what they're for
The world outside is tugging like a beggar at my sleeve
Oh, that's much too old a story to believe

And you know that it's taken its share of me
Even though you take such good care of me
Now you say Morocco and that makes me smile
I haven't seen Morocco in a long, long while
The dreams are rolling down across the places in my mind
And I've just had a taste of something fine

The future hides and the past just slides
England lies between
Floating in a silver mist so cold and so clean
California's shaking like an angry child will
Who has asked for love and is unanswered still

And you know that I'm looking back carefully
'Cause I know that there's still something there for me
But you said Morocco and you made me smile
And it hasn't been that easy for a long, long while
And looking back into your eyes I saw them really shine
Giving me a taste of something fine
Something fine

Now if you see Morocco I know you'll go in style
I may not see Morocco for a little while
But while you're there I was hoping you might keep it in your mind
To save me just a taste of something fine.




P.S.: I hope you find moments like this. I really do. And I hope you'll realize how precious they are. I hope you'll enjoy them like I have, and I hope you know what it would mean to me that you are happy.

I don't know what to say about all of this.
February already seems like it was ages ago -- in terms of school, at least. I graduated last Thursday, and visited Whitestone Academy yesterday to hang out with my Creative Writing teacher for a bit (he awarded me at graduation for being at the top of my class, by the way), and when I saw a couple of my fellow graduates at the school, I felt as if I'd known them my whole life. But I've really only known them since February. And I only started really talking to a lot of them at prom.
It's just that these people are all I really have to remember high school by. These past four years are over. And it's just starting to sink in.
I don't like it. I should have had better times while I was still in high school.

PROM '09!!! (a week late with the pictures -- oh, well.)

Awesome. Freakin'. Night.
Sadly, I didn't have my own camera on me, so I can't provide full photographic coverage, but these are the pictures I've gotten from other people -- and there are a couple more on the way, so hang tight.

Welcome to the Waldorf=Astoria -- where chandeliers and other shiny motifs of high class abound!

Chilling at my post (at which I could easily avoid the dance floor) with occasional company.

With Mr. J's arrival, the party finally began to live up to its name...and I decided, at last, to join in (See? There I am -- in the background, with Dance Partner #1! Let's zoom in...).

My expression = *grumble* "I haven't even started to dance yet, why are you taking pictures?" *grumble*
I learned early, after several awkward moments, that the dance floor could not be avoided forever. (However, I owe the girl in this picture for getting me out there in the first place.)

On the floor with Dance Partner #2!

On the floor with Dance Partner #2 -- as well as Dance Partners #3 and #4, who swept in from across the room.
(I must a better dancer than I once thought.)

Ladies and gentlemen, the Graduation Cake has reached the dance floor!

CLASS OF '09!!!

I got called into the stretch Hummer for a nostalgic ride home in good company.

Don't grow up too fast
And don't embrace the past
This life's too good to last
And I'm too young to care...
-- from "Blackout" by Muse

This was a night I'll never forget.

Miss Communication

It would seem you've been
Reading my words to mean
Things that I never intended to say

(And now I see) When they came across
All that they meant was lost
And all that I wanted was bent out of shape

(All I wanted was) To know I had turned out alright in the end
Not to take steps back or to go there again
(But just) To know if maybe now I'm worth more
Than the fool I was then
And if I even deserve a friend --
I just hope that this miscommunication's at an end