Perspective is beautiful

So yesterday, I did something I haven't done in literally years: I spent time with my grandparents. I know what you're thinking. "Lucien you always spend time with your family." Here's the difference. I went to their house and it was just the three of us. It was amazing. A Friday afternoon hang with Mom-mom and Poppy. If there are cooler people (not just cooler grandparents) on the planet, I have yet to find them and if I do, I'll conduct a survey to really measure and compare coolness factor. It's only fair.

What makes them cool? There are a couple of things. Their age (and experiences it has brought them), their world view, and their love, for one another, family and mankind. My grand parents have been on this planet for a long time. Both of them are about 80 give or take a year or two. They saw part of the depression, several wars, the civil right movement, the coming of age of jazz, RnB, Soul. They've only had one child of their own but have looked out for hundreds. What's even greater, they're minds are razor sharp and they can tell the tales about their time here.

As I kid, I spent almost everyday with my grandparents and I remember the names of people they talked to on the phone. As I got older, I would hear these same names being mentioned with a sorrowful tone. (Mom-mom has a certain voice when someone calls her about the passing of a friend. I could always tell.) It is strange yet, in ways, a blessing to see them outlive many of the people they have called brothers and sisters, friends, loved ones.

Having lived as long as they have, my grandparents have a way of looking at the world that only wisdom and prudence can birth. They lived through the simpler times of the 50s and rough seas of the 60s. They have seen the coming up of that "70s vibe." Now in this tumultuous digital era, they look at the world and world events through seasoned, experienced eyes. They see through the smoke screen of the media and the government and look for what really matters. What's more they are don't let the times pass them by. They're trying to get hip to the computer lingo. Mom-mom reads the paper everyday. Poppy is an avid investor. They have an global awareness many people at the age don't have (let alone African Americans).

The last thing I need to share with you is how they love. We've just passed another valentines day (I did have a date at the last minute. That's neither here nor there.) My grandparents have perfected this love thing. After being married dang near 60 years, they have it down to a science. You can tell young love because the participants hang all over each other, with the smooching and kissing and fondling. Well maybe not fondling in public. Maybe. But what Mom-mom and Poppy have is true love. Yesterday we sat in the living room for an hour and change. For the most part, they sat on opposite sides of the room. You'd think that's not a very lovey dovey thing to do. All it did was the fill the room up with love faster. Then you can see them being lovers on the sly. The subtlest things can be the biggest signs of just how deep their love goes.

The title of the this blog really tells the whole story. Perspective is beautiful. My grandparents have tons of it and are willing to share. Thanks to them for being who they are and thanks to you for reading.
-truth
revised 2/28/06

The vice president shot somebody?

Ok what's the deal? Am I to believe that the second in command in the Bush administration actually shot a 78 year old man in a hunting accident? Is that really what i'm suppose to believe? That's crazy. As I'm writing to you, I'm checking out an article on NBC about the whole deal. It's really a bizzare scenario. Here we have the Vice President of the United States and his lawyer buddy out on a little friendly hunt in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday. In addition to these two shotgun wielding dudes, there's a full medical staff (let's call them the heart attack squad: Cheney's First, Last and only line of defense against the worst scum of the arteries.) I'm sure there were some secret service dudes. According to Cheney via the Associated Press, there was no "press person." This is why the American people heard nothing of this story until almost a full day after it took place. Where would this country be without our "press people?"

So anyway, the pellets (our projectile of choice) are about 1/10 of an inch in diameter. The victim,. harry Whittington took one to the face, one to the neck and one to the chest more specificially, his atria (the top half of the heart) The latter caused whittington to have a silent heart attack. BIZZARE! It's one of those things where if you're Cheney you go to the hospital and sit there with your boy and say, "Man, one day we're going to look back on this and Laaaauuugh... " (at which point you have to offer that cheezy innocent smile. )

I don't know about the rest of the citizens of this nation but our current administration seems a little gun happy, accidents and not so accidents taken into acount. Frankly it freaks me out a little bit. In addition to that, and of course all of the late night talk show hosts having a field day with this material (no writer could ever conjure up something this good), what does this incident say to the rest of the world? The world stage is dressed up and on TV for the olympics so the international media seems more acute and sensitive to international events than any given february. And there's Dick having a Biathalon of his own in Corpus Christi. That my friends, is jacked up. I know i don't talk about politics a lot as a matter of policy but this was just too freaky to go unmentioned. Thanks for reading.
-Truth, on the way to Modell's to get the Brightest orange vest and pants i can for my next trip to DC...

another one bites the dust...

Well sports fans, if you haven't been in a state of coma like me, you know that tonight we saw the passing of superbowl XL (40 in laymen's terms). Of course in the recent years, we've been bombarded with the clever, witty and some sometimes outright dumb commercials. There were some good ones, some we've come to expect and some that were just wasted money. but commercials and the "stuporbowl" as one friend called it (love that one, Anissa!) is not my purpose for writing.

My weekend has been unbelievable.

Every day has been filled to the brim with musical excitement. Friday, i played two shows on two different instruments and both were utterly ridiculous. I also had an outrageous hang with a relatively new but fascinating friend. Saturday was slightly bizzare.

After a super late hang, (4:30am is pretty late for me.) i was prepared to sleep all day then go to a rehearsal for a singer with whom i just started working. during that rehearsal i got the call for a pick up session at Master Arranger Larry Gold's Studio. Gear wise, the place is tricked out. There are at least two huge Solid State Logic consoles (that a brand of studio mixer that can easily coerce a buyer to shell out $200,000. yeah it's like that.) mics from every make, tons of great gear except the one thing that mattered to me... the drums. Let it suffice to say they sucked majorly. there's no reason for drums in a studio of this caliber to have the original factory drum heads! that was my first clue. it went down hill from there. Some how I got them to sound like drums and away we went. By Now it's like 10:45 and i'm waiting on the engineer to get me patched in and test levels. The mood in the studio was shady at best and resembled that stuff you see in a rap video: A huge entourage all there because of one dude. His managaer type dude cut his hair with a disposable razor in the control room. His lady filmed this process for the website. Long Story short, the simple 2 hour session stretched into a marathon of 8 HOURS!!! I was walking back to my truck with sun coming up from the east around 6:45... like i said, bizzare.

Today was pretty simple. I did some recording with Kevin for the Patrick Willis demo. This was cool because it happened at my place so i could rock the chill out gear and not have to get pretty. ;)

I have to publically thank erik johnson. In the past few months, we have been talking a lot about being an effective, efficient session player in our lessons. Erik, who's had tons of experience, has been giving me pointers, tips, tricks and other suggestions to make my time in the studio as painless as possible. I have come to realize being a session player is a very tough and demanding job. In yesterday's session, for example, we learned a tune by ear, worked out the form, and then were expected to play it like we've known it for years, all in a matter of an hour or two. My real satisfaction comes from knowing i was able to accomplish this feat three times over, in the face of exahaustion. Same thing today.

On Tuesday, Will Brock, is playing at the world cafe live here in philly. if you're in philly and you know what's good for you, you better be there. you ears and hearts will thank you. thanks for reading.
-truth, bringing you the funk on tape in 2006!