Bulletin Board

Every now and then I receive random e-mails informing me of something awesome happening in one of the many corners of the internet. I'm going to share a couple with you that made me laugh.

This is an excerpt from America's greatest satirical newspaper, "The Onion." I've always liked the Onion; now i love it. oh and it just so happens i play the didjeridoo too, ladies. thanks to Colleen for sending me the truth:

I was reading The Onion today, and there was an article called "How To Be A Totally Bad-Ass Rocker-Chick Individual"
This was number six on the list; it made me think of you:

*******
6. Date the bassist. Most girls go for the frontman or the guitarist - which is sooooo predictable. If you're going to hook up with someone in the band - and FYI, to be a rocker chick, you have to hook up with someone in a band, sorry - don't make it the obvious choice. Cool chicks hook up with the bassist, or the drummer, or the didjeridoo soloist, or the guy on stage holding what appears to be a wind chime. Go for the unexpected in your choice of boyfriend-in-a-band. What would Bijou Phillips do?


Next is from Heather, who, while reading ESPN magazine, came across an article about the St. Louis Cardinals offering fans a "peanut-free" seating section at an upcoming baseball game. how awesome is this!?

"On July 21, Section 328 down the right field line in Busch Stadium will go peanut-free, allowing allergic Cardinals fans to watch a game without worrying that peanuts will cause a reaction."

here's the link: click here


This is from Lara, who sent me a link to one of the stranger items that have been put up for sale in recent ebay history:


...uh

London Calling

Today is our last day in London and all of England, for that matter. It's been real. It's been nice. But it hasn't been real nice. just playing. Loved it here. Time for Ireland!

Eng-a-land

Excuse my cameo (and the multiple shots of Ryan Liestman.) We'll be in England for a while; this is footage from our first few days here, mostly just walking around the area my hotel was in.

Great Scot(land)

Today we got to walk around the city, buy european cell phones, and john downed two red bulls minutes before the concert. Showing us how real men get their caffeine.

Europe: Day ? - Glasgow, Scotland

My body is as confused as a monkey who was just let out of the "barrel of monkeys" and now has vertigo, amnesia, and oddly, insomnia. As i typed that last sentence I realized it doesn't really make sense, but that's about the brainwave i'm working on right now. We flew from LA to London to Glasgow on a marathon flight with total traveltime somewhere in the ballpark of 15 hours. I left on Saturday and apparently it's Monday morning now; 5 AM here, and I've spent the past 3 hours watching music videos in my hotel. Can't sleep at all. It's so weird - as tired as I am from flying and sleep deprivation, my body refuses to fall asleep because it still thinks its dinnertime back in LA. This has happened everytime I've traveled to Europe and i'm hoping I can adjust soon - or else break out the tranquilizers (not really.)
It is beautiful here. We ate a deliciously overpriced dinner and Ryan got applauded for his dreadlocks by mere strangers on the street. Tomorrow...er..later today is the opening of the Avril Levigne tour.
Oh, and that reminds me, I have something to tell you. You will see me sporting a new bass on the Avril tour and into the summer Jonas tour. It's a reissue of the Ampeg Dan Armstrong plexiglass bass from the 1960's. There's nothing to hide behind now because its completely see-through. check it:


sweet dreams,
greggggggggggg

American Idle

One of the reasons I write in this blog is to give some honest insight into my job for people who want to know. Fresh off an American Idol performance last night, I will attempt to recount yesterday's events leading up to our performance on live TV in front of 40 million people so you, the blog fan, can get a glimpse as to what it's like to be a "pro musician."

Overall the day consisted of a very lot of one thing: nothing.

*All events are Pacific Standard Time*

~ The band wakes up at 7:30am to try on suits for the show. This is pretty much the most we will do all day.

~ 8:00am - 1:00pm - We argue over what time "afternoon" ends and "evening" begins. We conclude that although it seems to be subjective for each person, Wikipedia says it starts at 6pm and that sounds about right to all of us. After this, we eat mashed potatoes.

~ 1:00pm - We run-through S.O.S. for the dress rehearsal. This takes approx. 2 minutes and 38 seconds. I see the two potential American Idols pacing backstage nervously. I'm tempted to pull both of them aside separately to tell them they won, but decide that's slightly too mean.

~ 1:03pm - 5:00 - Because there are so many performers on American Idol, we're sharing a tiny room with other band's musicians and dancers. To stay out of everyone's way, we kill time in some VIP lounge area inside the venue. We're the only ones there for a while, which is nice. But as the show's kickoff gets closer, socialites begin to show up in gowns and expensive suits. We bask in the glory of the stares and scoffs we're receiving for being present in that room (who are those kids in t-shirts reading magazines? ugh.) Other highlights during this time include me drinking a bottle of water. You get the point, not much happened:

~ 5:00pm - 6:15pm - We make our way to the dressing room to get changed and fill out paperwork for the show. We watch the other performances on a closed circuit TV. Right before we go on, we all pray together and walk to the stage. As far as what it 's like to actually be up there, well, it certainly is weird. It's like looking into my childhood television shows and having them look right back at me. I see Teri Hatcher, Lori Loughlin, and Mike Meyers - all actors from successful 90's television. It's like the American Idol stage is some freaky pop culture time machine.

~ 6:30pm - We leave and I call my mother to see what she thought. I order room service at the hotel and watch the rest on TV. the end.

The running theme of yesterday, and most days when there are televised performances, is boredom. You usually sit in a concrete room for hours upon end until things get crazy for the 10 minutes leading up to the performance, and then you're back to wondering what to do with the rest of your day. Hurry up and wait.

It's definitely fun, but it's not all glitz and glamor. As Andre 3000 once sang, "I'm just being honest."


...he also once sang "shake it like a polaroid picture."

May 19, 2005

Perhaps its ironic that my flight leaving home was today. Perhaps symbolic? eh, probably just convienent to the travel agent and the the rehearsal schedule. OK, but it can still be symbolic to me.

As some of you (read: probably none of you) know, today is my 3 year anniversary getting a call to audition for the Jonas Brothers. Actually, in hindsight, it was not only a phone call to audition, but to start a hopeful career in music. So yeah, I'm like that. sorry. I like dates and anniversaries and history. I always have. I think its important and interesting to look back every now and then. Otherwise, you'll never know how far you've come (or gone backwards.) Three years ago I was applying for summer jobs and going to Phillies baseball games...three years later I'm on a flight to LA to rehearse for an upcoming world tour and to perform on the finale of American Idol.

I remember not even knowing who these kids were or how long I'd be hired for, but somehow I knew it was big. I took it slow that morning of the audition and got on my knees and prayed, "God, I have no idea what I'm even auditioning for, but I give this opportunity to your hands, and may your will be done today." Plus, I'm awesome at the bass, so i knew i'd get it (jokes.)

This past year especially has been crazy. The JBs are A LOT more well-known today than they were May 19th, 2007. Things around me have changed quite a bit, but I hope I haven't. Obviously these experiences are going to shape me as a person; I guess what I mean is, I hope I'm a better person than I was 3 years ago. I'm looking forward to whatever comes next. I thank Jesus that I get to do this everyday.

We're descending into LAX now. The guy sitting next to me just asked me to turn off my iPhone. (Is he serious?)
Ah well, you're probably bored with me talking about myself aren't you?
I guess I'll stop. wait a minute, you came to this site on your own ...maybe I'll...eh, forget it, I'll just stop.

-gg

for a more detailed description of my May 19th, 2005, click here