On May 28, 2009 at Belly Up Tavern 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach, California 92075 w/ Laura Roppe
This is my cousin Laura Roppe’s "I Kicked Cancer’s Ass" come-back show after months of treatment! and it would mean so much to all of us to see you there
We made a live version of Love You Moon's Screams in A Vaccum free for download on his myspace player it is from a session performed at Fingerprints Record store in Long Beach California it's a personal fave of mine, that Matthew Embree soul just moves me forward. So for anyone who would like to have it go and get that beauty - hope you all enjoy!
This is my first official blog entry. I'll be honest it's kind of weirding me out for a pleathora of reasons. First I don't really like talking or writing about myself, and that in and of itself is pretty major seeing as how a blog is ostensibly just that. Also I happen to be an avid reader of one of my best friends and band brother Steve Choi's blog and it seems an almost insurmountable task to attempt such a level of casual eloquence. Not that I wish to compete of course, I just don't want to oversaturate the already populace land of bloggery seeing as how we share many similar experiences. Our perspectives however are very differant, as are yours... so here goes nothin!
I am sitting in the living room of our producer Chris Fudurich's loft, having just finished lead vocals on an RxB song with the working title of "Don Pedro". We just spent the last couple weeks recording all the basic tracks (drums, bass, guitars, keys etc.) at a lovely studio called the Mouse House which was essentially a haunted mansion converted into a professional recording studio. We recorded everything live to a Sony (previously MCI for ye gear nerds) 2" 24-track tape machine, all of us in the same room, straight rockin! Tape sounds good, I'll be honest. I took some pictures but since I used a EOS Rebel which uses film I haven't got a chance to develop them and display them here next to the text. I know, I'm so old fashioned, first the tape then the film and to top it all off I have never owned a T.V. Our old manager called me a Luddite which is apparently a group of folks who follow the preachings of this dude Ned Lud who admonished the use of any technology. It's all good though people I assure you I am typing this on a macbook. the cute white one. so I'm still cool... I like watching basketball and certain shows that friends have shown me that are aired on t.v. and totally respect the art of cinematography and all that goes into the creation of movies and shows. I just CAN'T STAND commercials! They seriously bring up complex emotions in the depths of my soul. They are demeaning and insulting and are responsible for attempting to uphold the corporate capitalist marketplace stronghold on the psyche of people who don't know better. I don't need anyone to tell me what to buy or how to act and look, get out of my skull you bastards! Plus ads are just plain annoying. phew! ok... new paragraph
hello again. So RxB is recording and it's really awesome and challenging and rewarding all at once. More on that later... I want to talk about someone very special and dear to me, who has influenced and taught me things in ways that neither of us probably knew were possible. This person is my cousin Laura Roppe, mother of two bright and beautiful girls, wife of a generous and loving man, and writer and singer of incredible bluesy country songs. I like to think of her as the big sister I never had and is a ongoing source of living inspiration. She is also currently undergoing chemotherapy for triple negative breast cancer. While initially this news was followed by torrential tears and general negativity, the situation has evolved to become an immense change in perspective and understanding. Whenever I have had the chance I have been keeping Laura company during her chemo sessions. I bring my guitar and my songbook, walk with her and her husband Brad into the cancer ward, set up in a private room or by the windows in front of the whole chemo room and just play. It's really hard not to cry most of the time but I know it's much harder for her and her family so I suck it up and try and make the situation a little more positive, if even only a little. It's not that I don't think she will get better, in fact I already believe the cancer is gone, it's just my heart aches watching someone I love so much have tubes fed into their body. I want to grab the nurse and tell her,"Stop! you're hurting her!" but I know that is part of the treatment. They kill your healthy cells in hopes that they will get the cancer as well. On the flip side it fills my heart with joy to witness the love Brad and Laura have for each other. It's that storybook love, the kind that makes you feel good just to be around it, the kind that reminds you how powerful love really is. I feel so lucky to be a part of their lives, to be in the company of such amazing people.
Laura has taught me what true bravery is.
This whole experience has put my own life in perspective. You can't take life for granted, do what you desire, it's all there waiting for you to grab it!
The nurses at the hospital there are really kind and usually ask me to play for all the chemo patients, which at first I was nervous about because in a weird way I almost kind of felt guilty that I am healthy or that they wouldn't want me to disturb them. I played them some Sam Cooke songs because most of his songs are about love and love is a beautiful thing and I wanted to make something beautiful for those people. I hope they enjoyed it, I felt so honored and humbled to be there with such brave folks.
So I have a favor to ask of you fellow blog readers. If you feel so inclined please take a little time to visit my cousin Laura's website or Myspace and send her a little message of positivity You can check her out at www.lauraroppe.com. It would mean so much to me for her to receive positive support and encouragement from people who I hope I have touched in a positive way as well. Kind of like a circle of good vibes you know!!!
You can listen to some of her tunes too. She is quite a talented singer and songwriter and I even got to play on a few tracks from her debut album. I really appreciate it my friends, I love her so much and I know that the more positive thoughts and feelings she receives the better she will feel and faster she will heal. If we could trade places and I could take the cancer out of her body and put it in mine I would. Until then I will do everything in my power to help her and her family to heal. I have posted a video of a song that Laura and I played together at her second chemo session. It's a song she wrote that her doctor actually posted on his blog from a video that Laura's husband Brad shot.
Well that's all for now I'll try to write again soon and maybe another video from a most unorthodox venue. I am going to visit my cuz in chemo next week (It's her last treatment of this kind then on too some other nasty ish...) and I have been learnin new songs so I can make it more exciting. We'll just have to wait and see.... until then much love and respect and don't ever forget how good it feels to be human.
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