complicated

im sitting in my london hotel room drinking canada dry and eating swiss cheese on french bread. even the little things are confused

the machinist

i feel like Christian Bail in The Machinist. No matter how hard i try, my sleep schedule is fucked.anybody know a magic cure like hiccups? ill put sugar on my tongue, breathe into paper bags,drink water upside down...anything to lose the luggage under my eyes.

im almost at week 2 in the UK. i love London but damn its expensive. and i could really use some Mi Madres or El Chilito right about now. Im in a new hotel now where ill be for about a month while gigging, writing, and recording. it has a creepy 70s vibe to it that i really like.ive been smoking like a chimney in my non-smoking quarters. note to all smokers, always get nonsmoking, they are always better rooms.

my brain is covered in cotton blankets of sleep deprived dillusion so forgive this post. maybe i should stop. maybe i should erase it...

oh yea, almost forgot. i went to the nme awards the other night. ive never been to an awards show before. the only exciting person though was Kanye West. I even took a drink from his Hennesy bottle. as for the rest, pretty fuckin lame. the same 4 bands nominated for every category. and i think the arctic monkeys are ok, but really... and the sugababes? complete drivel. i wouldnt even take the time to skull fuck them. (did i just say that? see previous disclaimer). was nice though to see my friends We Are Scientists get some well-deserved credit.

off to "count" sheep

day off

a day off in st louis with the Wiley family. today ive spent the day eating every food known to man including yogurt, tacos, good n plenties, pasta, and candy cigarettes. i think theres a tape worm goin around the Title/Klein camp. Ann Arbor was a wierd but fun show. the ceiling of the ballroom kept crumbling the louder it gets. ive been playing some bass and keys during the THT set which has also been a blast. touring with some of your best friends makes all the difference. now all i need is gloves. i cant believe i forgot to bring gloves. anyone know where i can get some freezie freakies?
more love than you could ever handle....jeff

so far so.....

day 4 is an odd one. the venue changed to another city on the day of show. we're sittin in the back of some coffee shop with a shitty p.a., no stage, and hallogen lights. fuckin bizarre. thanks to everyone for sellin chicago and cleveland out. both were wonderful nights

murphys law

well its day 3 on the honorary title tour. so far its been pretty slapstick. van needing new parts, the trailer breaking off on the highway, bad weather... but the shows and people are great. Im riding with the THT boys and typing this on my Palm Treo. My fingers are way too big for these little keys. Its fun touring with old friends, and Juan our tour manager rules. this is all one run on sentence isn't it? I wish I could sleep in vans cuz im tired as fuck. I also need to cut my hair. anyone coming to the shows that cuts hair? ? ? oooohhhh and a manicure. yes a manicure is in order. ok. im gonna sandwich myself between cushions and hope for the best. if you come to the shows, don't forget to check out the new shirts and come say hi!

in a few hours

i leave my home for quite a long time...

blindfolds are your friends

where to begin. i dont know. im finally getting a little healthy rest after a crazy few months. i cant even begin to tell you how amazing everything and everyone has been. Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, France...all great shows. and all the new and old fans along the way the way are beauftiful people. we all appreciate you so much. the boys from Team and Stapleton are some of the coolest kids i ever did meet. i urge you all to check them out. my body needs a rest from all the travelling and damage. i even managed to get 2nd degree burns on my hand due to my lack of focus ability. i miss my bed, and not even sure when i will see it again. it was great to see Simpson for a bit tho. most of January looks like recording demo time and February/March will see touring both stateside and abroad with The Honorary Title, Joseph Arthur, Rob Love, and Sandy Dillon. g'night

a bit overdue

ive been terrible about updating this blog on tour. the drives are long and the sleep is barely found but the shows and the fans are amazing. none would be possible without our driver of steel Marcel. everyones favorite Iranian born German with a French name. Played 2 nights with one of my favorite producers John Parish and his great band. Turns out everywhere we go there are friends in common. Today is our second day off of the whole tour and we're about to board a ferry to go from Sweden back to Germany. more to come soon. much love

devils rejects tour

im on day 4 of traveling. matt baum and i are sitting at an internet cafe in amsterdam. we have a few hours till the club and where we are staying opens. it looks like ll the women have pockets painted onto their legs for jeans. mothafuckin tight. omaha was fun too. great community of people/friends.

xx
jeff

A tavola non si invecchia

I would like to start off by telling you a simple fact. My friends are better than yours. Im not sure if they can kick your friends' asses, but they are overwhelmingly rad. The Birthday weekend was one of the best ive had in a while. Putt-putt, good food, good company, good drinks....wrapping it up with a hilarious dance party night on sunday which included my new homeless friend Perry. Ive been rehearsing bass for playing with Statistics as well as my own set. I never feel like i know how to properly rehearse. Im more of a learn in the trenches kinda guy. October/November is always the birthday/traveling scramble. Must be the whole 9 to 10 months after Valentines Day theory. And on the subject of theories, i have heard the greatest album of next year. Its not finished yet, but when it is it will make you see that Crap Your Pants And say Yea horseshit for what it is. Keep an eye out for Van Occupanther by Midlake. Its gonna drop your jaw. And ill be honest, i havent been a Midlake fan prior to hearing this.

So tired

its been quite a long weekend. a lot of halloween parties and seeing some great friends. not to mention thursday nights dance party and haunted house mission. this weekend i wrote and recorded 2 songs, Fortune Teller and I Just Want My Fucking House back. I also saw a great Patty Hearst documentary. Truly a mystery. This week bring 2 gigs in tx and my birthday. someday ill be able to take a nap.

the calm beside the storm

i went canoeing last night for the first time since being a kid. i dont have the greatest sense of balance, but amazingly i didnt tip us over. austin looks much better under a full moon and surrounded by water with 2 40 oz. of Mickeys, a pack of smokes, and good company. not to mention the Lord of the Flies island we sat on trading stories like the scene in JAWS where Richard Dryfuss and Quinn are trading scars. Followed by an evening of east side bar hopping to places we've never been, guessing selections on Tejano Jukeboxes, drinkin cheap beer, and smelling like camp. thank you for reminding me im still invincable and not invisible.

The Real Hero

Poughkeepsie Journal

blistering

you let down your hair and ill take off my blindfold
we can sleep in the lust of all our lost summer youth
the dimming light from your candy coated skin
i know how hard sometimes it can be to pretend
how gracefully you can forget yourself in screams of loneliness

guilty

the only thing thats constant is just how disappointing you are. maybe you dont really get it, maybe you just borrow it from time to time. theres always only two sides. light and dark. the dark is so much pain but its so damn inviting. and the light it leads you endlessly searching for the source. ive been pistol whipped into believing in the disease you're spreading. i feel better in the dark. better where its quite. no birds chirping. just a feeling. something real. have you ever felt that something real? like nails driven into wrists and ankles. like choking but laughing and not seperating the two. ill be your anchor but theres a hole in the bottom. and it will sink whether still or in motion. did you know you can still dream when you're awake. it wasnt that long ago was it?

A Glimmer

My Morning Jacket and Calla just might be able to help save rock and roll.

Scribblers Heart

ive erased this entry 5 times. a persons worst enemy is an empty page...

Governator

In California Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill to outlaw video game sales to minors when games contain “reckless mayhem” and sexual content. Oh, Terminator. At least you play the role of hypocrite with conviction.

Geeking Out

Anyone who knows me personally knows i am secretly a music gear junkie geek. i just found Kevin Sheilds old live setup. Life may never be the same. Sorry in advance for dorking out.

Lemons and Syrup

Turns out November could be quite an interesting month. I hope to tell you all soon. In the meantime its spring cleaning time for my body. Friday will start a day Master Cleanser fast for me. No solid food, no booze, no smokes. Ugh Im getting a headache just looking at those words. Ill post an online account for all of your amusement. Maybe we can have a pool to see who thinks ill last or not.

Saw Two Gallants play last night. A pleasant surprise.

10-4

Happy Birthday Mom. I would be nothing wthout you. I wish you only had a chance to see what ive become. Or at least part anyway. You will always be the light that guides me.

love
jeff

linx

im planning on expanding the site a bit in the upcoming weeks. i realised i dont have a link section anymore, so heres some friends and family you should check out.
Twilight Singers
Ani Difranco
Zookeeper
Joseph Arthur
Zykos
People in Planes
Har Mar Superstar
Statistics
Tara Angell
REM
Mark Lanegan
Chris Glover
The Honorary Title

tbd

parents have a natural longing for their children to have better lives and opportunities than they did themselves. to not make the same mistakes. But what about us without children? Do we just long for the things we may never have for ourselves? Do we just keep running the maze of mistakes?

i think we just made love for the very last time. i suppose its one more time than we were ever supposed to. and this time with a wall between us. too dirty. too damaged. too hard. too much. if love leaves scars than i barely have a patch of smooth skin left on my body. after all of these years, i suppose im too familiar to be a fantasy anymore. and laying beside you should never feel so lonely. but tonight, for the first time, it does.

there will always be more attractive. more funny. more healthy. more wealthy. more simple. more safe. but they will never be me. and they will never be you. and they will never be more perfect. and thats the part that really kills me.

i was told to be as honest in these diary entries as possible. no matter how much it hurt. well, heres the first step, its a long drop so dont look down.

the war within

im getting worse with meeting new people. i mean im good with strangers, but friends of friends that i dont know that are kinda like pre-prescribed friends is not my forte. i dont know what my problem is. i just dont have the brain for the smalltalk and forplay required to make it work. i never thought id say this, but im ready to see my bed and my friends again for a few days. i dont think ive slept in my own bed in months.

on a seperate closing note: Joseph Arthur rules. if you dont know him, do yourself a favor and learn him. the short run with Joe, Graham, and Lauren was a blast.

here vs here

some people are here to be leaders. some people are here to be workers. some people are here to be victims. some people are here to be listeners. some people are here to be followers. some people are here to be mirrors. some people are here to be scales. some people are here to be dealers. some people are here to be speakers. some people are here to be healers. some people are here to be clocks. some people are here to be strangers. so tell me my friend, why the hell are you here?

walk all over you

im dressing the wounds on my feet
the skin worn away blood and bone
you're in the other room
dressing the wounds on your chest
i never meant to walk miles all over you
i was too busy looking forward instead of down

Happy

Have i ever mentioned how great the wrens - happy is? listen now!
You're the one I want
you're a chance to take
you're a hard break
and swore you'd never leave again
you're the only one
that I ever trusted
or who ever cared at all
is this how its going to be
is this how you wanted me
broken down again
its almost over now
is this why you wanted me
to watch as you walk away
you kept on killing me
and you don't even want to touch me
I was wrong
I've wasted on
can't figure out
what happened to us
I won't count on you anymore
I'll be all right
don't worry about me
aren't you happy now
you got what you want
I wanted you
but I'm over that now
I'm so sick of you and what we went through
your lies to me
won't win again
so don't kid yourself
its better this way
its all back to me

Bitter Pills & Daffodilles

I'll be honest with you, Im not usually big on music confrences or festivals. In fact, im pretty excited to be nowhere near Austin for ACL festival. Its all just a little too claustraphobic for me. CMJ was pretty fun in retrospect. The Housing Works benefit was way more enjoyable than i thought too. So much for my Annie Lennox impersonation, tho. I really didnt see any new music that blew me away, which was kind of disappointing. Too much hype over a lotta bullshit if you ask me.

Steal These Records

Andrew Bird - the Mysterious Production of Eggs
Bill Fay - Time of the Last Persecution
Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
Greg Dulli - Amber Headlights
Iron & Wine/Calexico - In The Reins

Helpless

i hate feeling helpless to the city i love. to my friends. insanity.

notes on the draft

i walked miles just to see you disappear from the runway again. an ocean at my feet and warm, cracked concrete to see you home safely to six flights of stairs playing catch with my breath. every time i close my eyes i feel the inside of your skin. clenched between our teeth and smoking each other down to the filter. with hearts like clocks counting down to departure, a smoothe steady pace and a sweeping second hand, i replay it over and over again.

hours afterwards we wrote names on little pieces of paper and threw them in a hat. mixed em around and picked one out. this will be the final order.

Cotton Candy In My Head

My eyes still have a blurry film over them. The past four weeks have been some of the most amazing and devistating days of my life. Overwhelmed with how great the sold out Tonic show was. My heels are bruised from walking till sunrise on the cracked concrete of the lower east side and Williamsburg. I must have lost 50 lbs sweating on the F and JMZ every day. And speaking of sweating, Jarrod and I went to dinner the other night just to find some strange Hispanic Religeous Festival right in front of our restaurant. I never such a lovely pompadour painted against a white bed sheet. Now i must find a b&w photobooth in Austin as its become an addiction after late night bar crawling and dance parties. Mike, Meagan, Tara, Meghan, Michelle, Natalie, Jen, Erik, Ken, Dave...You are all parachutes and gems. Feels good when we're in the same post code.
In the meantime im learning lessons left and right. See no evil Hear no evil doesnt quite cut it anymore. I gotta take it in no matter how hard it is. And Natasha, you are the strongest ballsiest girl thats ever forced her way into my life. My heart and hands are with you. We dont always have to be violent people. I'll pray to anyone who will listen if it helps.

Slums of manhattan

i awoke to a slew of emails and text messages today. it seems everyone close to me is sick or fading in some way. i think its sad how people only care when things have gone too far, or when its socially proper to. all of the sudden the people that helped you get into this hole are concerned about your well being. but nobody pays to see evil knevil make the jump, do they.

hotel cafe

the west coast trip was truly a blast. i got the full-on g-diddy tour as well as got to see a lot of friends. Scott Ford and Brian Young turned out to be amazing both musically and as people. great people. got to spend quality time with har mar, tony, mark duston, as well as a very late night session with chris and nick from jet, death cab, and the darkness. i need to work on my darts game apparently.

ill write more soon. chris simpson is a gem, by the way. i hope the world realises it.

Heat Wave Goodbye

I dont know if its because i grew up in NY or if i just have thin skin, but i can not wait to get out of the TX heat tomorrow. I get dizzy from just walking outside. I also may have to overturn the NO SMOKING rule that exists in my house. Too hot for outside smoking. Can you imagine that? Me in a NO SMOKING house? Scary but true.

Anyway, Chris is gettin our touring vehicle looked at since the breaks are making noise. Im supposed to be doing laundry and packing clothes, but instead im reading Drudge Report, checking Myspace, eating chips, and sending dirty text messages. Its amazing how i dont actually talk on my phone anymore, just type.

This is what ive recieved in the last 2 hours in my inbox:
"What ya up to??"
"Have the charlatans quit your floor yet?"
"Ride that donkey"
"I laughed my ass all the way off. I have no ass."
"What you wanna do kangaroo?"
"I just had a fantastic meal and would like to go drinking now. where can i meet you?"
"You should never hang up on someone"
"U out?"
"At emos?"
"The brigade is cumin"
"naked in bed"
"a pity"
"Do you remember teachers have a lot to learn?"
"Got any wine?"

Now instead of conversations i have words with people. I used to think it was more convenient, but now im typing back 5 people at the same time, while having our conversation sentence by sentence. Its silly. And speaking of silly, go see Wedding Crashers. Ive seen 3 movies in the past 2 weeks and all 3 were good. Devils Rejects, Charilie and the Chocolate Factory, and Wedding Crashers. I think im still high on sour patch kids and 5 gallon butckets of cola. When did they start using the popcorn buckets as the soda cups? Pissing sugar for hours.

Zookeeper

I cant even rave enough about the new Zookeeper recordings. Zookeeper is the new moniker for Chris Simpson, former front man of Mineral and The Gloria Record. Im taking him with me to open the show in LA, so if you're coming come early. You can also check out some clips at http://myspace.com/zookeepersworld

Ipod Playlist - July 18

Lavern Baker - Soul on Fire
Nada Surf - Blonde on Blonde
Bonnie Prince Billie - Beast For Thee
Crooked Fingers - Broken Man
ZootWoman - Its Automatic
Ratatat - Seventeen Years
Zombies - A Rose for Emily
The Wrens - Happy
Rufus Wainwright - Natasha
The Notwist - One With the Freaks
Nico - The Fairest of the Seasons
Nick Cave - Love Letter
Donovan - Wear Your Love Like Heaven
Wilson Pickett - Im in Love
Richard Buckner - Rafters

Learning The Game

Its almost 6am on Friday. In some ways for various reasons i feel a bit disappointed. Not by the show and amazing people. Just other things.

I used to think i knew everything. Thats the beauty of youth. The feeling of being invincible at all times. And as i get older, unfortunately, i realise i havent learned a damn thing. I suppose there is beauty in that too. I think im gonna start taking longer, harder looks at things. Someone once told me that life keeps throwing you lessons, and if they go unlearned, you get them again. Im ready to learn this time. I really am. I think i know where to start...

The Parish

I had been up for 16 hours, but the Parish was still a blast. Thanks so much for coming out and making it so special.And to Greg, Nappy, and Corey...you fucking amaze me.

Statistics Of A Righteous Nappy Twilight

My body is revolting against me. The week started out with my friends Zykos, Maria Taylor, and Statistics playing in Austin. It is official...I can fit 16 people in sleeping bags on my living room floor. I wonder how i suck at Tetris so bad. I hitched a ride with my friend Denver Dalley to NOLA to hang with Greg and play a little on the new Twilight Singers record. So far, it sounds fucking amazing. It was great to celebrate the release of the Hustler in the city i created it in. Also great to hang with Greg, Ani, and Nappy for a few days. You can check out some trip hilights on my new camera phone blog at http://thehustler.textamerica.com

Tomorrow is the Austin show. Should be quite an evening. I even managed to round up some friends to come down from NOLA to help celebrate.

xxx
jeff