It's endless, it's mapless, no compass, no north star

Currently listening to: Anti-Flag
Currently reading: SQL Server 2005..still

The ugly part about being in a band (and trying to make a living out of it) is what you see pictured. It's my finance book. The left half of the spreadsheet is expenses, the right half is income. The observant reader might notice the left half much more populated than the right.

Sigh.

And still, for some reason beyond what I can figure out at my current level of worldly enlightenment, I'm willing, even excited, to continue on. It feels like I'm winning more battles than I'm losing, however, they tend to come in batches so it's not uncommon a few times a year to feel like I've hit bottom, have a pity party for myself ("nobody will ever like my music...") only to then have a greater series of good things happen.

That's why I spent the last couple hours making over-complicated drafts of a show poster for our show in Anacortes, only to scrap all the ideas for the most simple thing I could think of. Now, I'm off to write drum parts to the three new songs.

Ya don't stop, ya don't quit.

The press doesn't lie...

Currently listening to: Gwen Stefani
Currently reading: our write-up in the Stranger

...3 of our 4 band members do wear glasses. Vision problems are the plight of our band.

From the Stranger:

WEDNESDAY 10/4
H IS FOR HELLGATE, PONY PANTS, SKYLINE DIVIDE(High Dive) They used to be called Henkensiefken, but now they're called H Is for Hellgate. Unless the publicity photos lie, three of the four band members wear glasses. They have a slight Rainer Maria vibe, but that could be due largely to Jamie Henkensiefken's vocals. I would call them indie rock, but I think that'd make them sound more spineless than they actually are, so I won't. Lastly, Mayor Greg Nickels apparently told the band they were "great" after seeing them play, but I couldn't confirm that before press time (okay, I didn't actually try to confirm that before press time). And now you know all you need to know about H Is for Hellgate. Don't mention it. MEGAN SELING

Oh, but I will mention it: thanks to Megan Seling and the Stranger for listing our show.

Hellgate <> Satan

Currently listening to: the fizz of my ginger brew
Currently reading: the Amy Poehler interview in Bust

I thought I'd give a little history on the olde band name, H is for Hellgate. You see, I moved to Seattle from Missoula, MT. Missoula is located in a valley that was carved out by the melting of the great glacial lake Missoula back in the day before rock bands were around. There are a bunch of valleys that lead into the Missoula valley (separated by beautiful mountains, of course). One of these valleys is call the Hellgate Canyon.

Hellgate canyon is majestic and dramatic, so much so that one of the three public high schools in Missoula is named Hellgate High. How bad ass would that be to go to Hellgate High? I'll never know; I went to High School in Helena, MT.

Anyway, I had always heard that the Hellgate was named such because of the fierce, cold winds that it bitch-slaps Missoula proper with over the winter. During my six years in Missoula, I had always thought the Hellgate was simultaneously tough and mystical. So, when thinking about renaming the band from my family name, Henkensiefken, to something dumbed-down, I wanted to 1) keep the band's nick name "the H," 2) give a shout out to Missoula.

Thanks to Wikipedia, I learned a little more H is for History about the Hellgate. Here's the what what:

There were no permanent white settlements in the Missoula Valley, however, until 1860 when C. P. Higgins and Francis Worden opened a trading post on the Blackfoot River near Hellgate Canyon, on the eastern edge of the valley, called the Hellgate Village. The name "hellgate" came from French trappers, who found the carnage from warfare between the Blackfeet and Flathead tribes, including bones and bodies, in the close confines of the canyon on the east edge of town. The canyon is still called Hellgate today, but only winter winds are a threat now.

We at H is for Hellgate do not support the leaving of Native American carnage anywhere. It's just not cool, people.

I thought you said I was your Elvira

Currently listening to: Khachaturian: Gayane
Currently reading: my to-do list

I've been having a flurry of ideas lately. This usually happens after a period of rest. Nothing genus there. Expect to see a keyboard in the live set here soon. I love me some sweet guitar action, but there's a lot to be said for crazy keyboard noises.

I spent a couple hours yesterday working on 3 new songs. They're 3 different styles: a 70's-ish rocker, a carnivalesque type number, and a really subdued song. After spending six long months on the full-length and retreating from writing, it's nice to be creative again.

And speaking of the full-length, it looks like Greyday Productions is going to release it, at least on a short-scale, early next year. I'm stoked. Greyday kicks ass. Especially the LKN part of Greyday.

Oh! And after my songwriting hemophilia last night, I caught Town Crier at El Corazon. I'm not sure why, but I'm so amused by their project: singing the news. Maybe because it has a similar feel to the now idle project Teresa and I started a year ago, The Reagan Era Living History Band. Anyway, they're rad and you should go see all of their shows and be entertained and educated. I love multitasking.

So, we're practicing tonight in an effort to tighten up the set for our October 4th show at the High Dive after the Mars Bar chain reaction of technical fubars and musical slop. Booyah.

raison d'etre

Currently listening to: No One by Quasi
Currently reading: SQL Server 2005 by wrox

Dear diary, I like to play that evil, evil rock music. It's in my blood. I hope someday my band can go on a nationwide tour...wait, no, a nationwide tour then a European tour. Then, we'll come back home, pay some bills, spend time with our sweethearts and then leave again to go play rock in Japan.

We have practice tonight at 6pm. Marie and I are getting together early so I can teach her the drum parts to Cool Your Jets. I'm so excited to play instrumental songs live. I'm always so tethered to the microphone. I'm going to walk over to the space now and record some bits of new songs. It's been way too long since something new has sprung out of my guitar.

Tomorrow morning I'll hopefully have the ambition to hang posters for the High Dive show. Getting up at 7am this morning to take a class for my paying job was so uncool.