On Monday morning, Dec 17, 2012, many parents did not bring their child / children to school. But I did. Here's how it went, and why I feel so thankful right now:
My daughter's pre-school is inside a building, up three flights of stairs. The door to the street is always locked from the outside; a push-bar opens it from the inside. You press a button on an intercom that contains a full-color security camera. You wait to be seen AND recognized by a staff member before the door buzzes open. You walk up three flights of stairs (cardio health and core strength come in handy here), and arrive at another locked door with a camera/intercom to buzz. Usually the child insists on pressing this button, so you lift her up to do it (again, cardio/core strength). Then and only then are you walking past the security desk into the school, having been surveilled by at least a half dozen other wall-mounted cameras on the street in front of the building and in the stairwells.
This morning we buzzed [...]
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Many thanx to everyone who came to the JOHN MONTAGNA BAND show last nite! Good times, loud rock n roll fun. By request from several of you, here's the set list. Enjoy, happy autumn and I'll see you on the next one!
Be wellJM QUEEN OF HEARTS - ROCKPILEI FEEL FINE - BEATLES MIDDLE OF THE ROAD - PRETENDERSBLUES FOR THE CITY - JMANOTHER SONG ABOUT YOU - JMBLACK VINYL RECORDS - JMBIG EYES - CHEAP TRICKI'M LOSING YOU - JOHN LENNONIS THAT LOVE - SQUEEZEMILES AWAY - JMINTERNET SONG - JMLET ME ROLL IT - PAUL MCCARTNEYYOUR SONG - ELTON JOHN SAY HELLO - JMHEARTBEAT - THE KNACKTHINGS WE SAID TODAY - BEATLES/MCCARTNEYGOODBYE GIRL - SQUEEZEWHY DO YOU MAKE ME DRIVE SO FAR? - JMHAVE YOU - JM
As I write this I am sweaty, my heart rate is up and my voice is a little tired. I have been practicing almost all day for tomorrow night's JOHN MONTAGNA BAND show at KJ Farrell's, and this particular practice session has been quite revelatory! I always thought that "My Original Music" was unrelated to everything else I did as a professional musician. Tours, private events, etc., were my bread and butter, but "My Original Music" was a separate thing: a purely artistic endeavor that existed in a vacuum, untouched by human hands other than my own. But today, I realized just how one has fed and enabled the other. Yes, my touring experiences have exposed me to a small but devoted audience, but that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about the two hour slot that KJ Farrell's gave us, and my ability to fill it effectively! In 1998 (at age 26) I released my first solo CD, "Enjoy Your Dessert." Back then, if someone gave me 2 hours [...]
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I made this mixtape in the summer of '94, fresh out of the Berklee College of Music and just a few weeks into my continuing studies at the School of Life (1994-current). What a glorious summer it was: girls, rock n roll music, fast cars and sun-drenched good times! And this mixtape is the soundtrack.
But I'm not sure why I wrote the date on the label. Did I know somehow that 18 years later I might need a totem to remind me of why I started chasing this crazy dream in the first place? What I do know is that after listening to this mixtape non-stop for about 2 weeks, my soul has been rejuvenated and re-activated as I've been put on an express train ride down a guitar-infested rabbit hole of powerpop geekery!
The full story can be heard on the latest episode of Radio 418. (What? You haven't subscribed yet? Go here now!) The full list from the mixtape is below. Enjoy!
Be well
JM
SIDE 1
STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET - SMITHEREENS
YESTERDAY [...]
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Happy New Year! It's time for renewal, a new chance, a new beginning, and that's why I've resurrected the Radio 418 podcast. I'll explain more later, but I'm in a rush because my first guest is arriving RIGHT NOW and I need to set up for the interview.
Whaa.....?
No time to explain, just check out Episode 1 and I'll tell you later!
Be well
JM
