Blog - 10/6/2026 Just Rambling...

You ever just have to create? Like, you have so much shit inside your head it has nowhere to go but out? I'm sure everyone who creates knows what I am talking about, and it's the only reason you're reading this today. Before I moved where I am now, I lived in a very desolate boring place. I did try at the time to find people who "got it", ya know, what I was doing. But it all seemed like a bunch of noise to people, but I was incredibly stubborn. I was living with family at the time, work was unstable due to a dying economy and any kind of stable work meant giving in to that crushing work till you drop boomer mentality that just doesn't make any sense. What the hell is the point of that, why should I work my ass off so some dickhead with a lakehouse and a yacht can rest easy while I wither away in some fucking mill and die at 50 from cancer or a stroke. Well, that's what I thought when I moved and still stand by those words. I mean, I don't mind working hard if it's worth my time.

Well in the meantime, while I was there I had to create, so I bought a guitar and attempted to learn. Then got to work, I was thinking I could use some basic DAW drums or something and absolutely fucking hated it. So I cut all spending and eventually got a drum kit and a MIDI keyboard, but the MIDI keyboard when trying to replicate an organ sound also sounded dead. So I found a classic Tonewheel Hammond, a cheap little L series at some thrift store. Had help from a friends father, I actually gave it to said friends brother before I left. 250lbs behemoth nearly broke my back. Eventually, I tracked down a Farfisa Mini Compact and bought a broke one from a friend who has supported me the whole way. That was that, Focal Points was made, through a combination of the sheer stubborn need to create and grief from personal life events my first and second album was made. With the second one delving more into that grief category, it honestly feels like a fever dream.

I learned my own way of playing all of these in as little as a month, I recall getting so frustrated with guitar I just tuned it to OPEN D and never looked back, then all my guitars and eventually my Bass was in OPEN D. I still have no idea how any of it works, but somehow it all sounds like me. I created something I really liked, and eventually I even coded a website during a college course. The same one you are reading this on now.

I ordered some lathe cuts of Focal Points and sent one to Feeding Tube, I also sent the original mix of my second album Chipped Penny on a 12 inch to Feeding Tube. Months later I was surprised to find Byron Coley himself talking about Focal Points in The Wire, I was not excited as someone should be honestly. Not that I don't appreciate it or see it as a good thing, it was just never my goal. I initially just wanted to throw it into the void and hope it finds people, it was so silly how I pitched Focal Points. Embarrassing now that I look back, but I recall hand writing an overconvoluted character and writing a whole 3 page letter as that character. I wanted to poke fun of the egomaniac avant garde artist, that letter was funny I still think, it was very Zappa inspired and I absolutely loved how over the top it was and I guess Byron did too.

My work still finds people somehow, I eventually realized I would like to explore other peoples works and document live shows. Why? I don't know, I guess Feeding Tube inspired that one when they put out that Stare Kits live album, I never forgot how badly I wanted to know how it felt in that room 50 years ago. So this is my way of achieving that for someone in the future. The local scene here in Connecticut has some interesting bands and a few of the bands I saw recently need to pretty please put an album out so I can listen to them. I know I am listening to Porcelain's album right now and plan to review their two song single along with the Velvet side whom they co released with. It's a weird dual release, but I got to buy Velvet's side to get the full experience... I am very thorough. So that will take me a little bit to get to, but expect to see it.

As for my own work, still working on getting a car. Real shitty luck with that move, but I am almost there. Then I'll probably book out Studio D at Parkville Sounds in Hartford, I really like that space. Lock myself in a room for 14 hours and see what happens, who knows, I might go crazy. In the meantime however, I am going back through my older works and making Stereo mixes for them as well as new Mono mixes if I can make them significantly better than the old ones.

And of course, I am gonna continue all this as well. Speaking of which, I guess it's technically a digital perzine so you may have noticed that I changed the links on the website accordingly. I plan on going to another local show here soon, new bands to learn about and hear. Honestly very excited about all that, anyways ramble over. Go live your life, quit doomscrolling, if you're anywhere cool there might be something happening down the street. Go enjoy it. And if you're not, leave before you wither away.