Will Maranto's World

Random Notes: January

I'm bored out of my mind in clinic today.  It's been a busy week but this afternoon is slow.  So I was moved to get on and put some new things on the old blog. 

• Progress on the recording front continues.  I now have all my acoustic panels/bass traps up in the recording space.  We're finally getting ready to do what I thought I was on the verge of doing when I started this blog: propperly treating the songs from That Great Connection.  I'm hoping we can embark upon this endeavor in February, though live music engagements may interupt this.
• Molly and I are marveling at the leaps and bounds our youngest, James, is making.  He's walking!  This is a cool thing to watch, though it adds another level of complexity to watching him, especially with Ben running rampant too!
• I'm listening to the Monsters of Folk on the iPod player right now.  "In The Right Place" is a really great song.
• My nurse is still as crazy as ever.  Really.
• Me and the band (now known as "the Usual Suspects") are embarking on another Mardi Gras parade.  Weather permitting, we'll be playing our asses off in the Centaur parade on 2/26/11.

Halloween Fun

Tonight Molly, Ben and I made the trick or treating rounds of the neighborhood. It is really cool to watch your 3 year-old get into the whole ghost, goblin and candy routine. I did end up carrying my little astronaut about a third of the way, but he did great and we had fun.

I was also struck by how nice all my neighbors are. Not that I ever thought bad of them, but it's nice to see so many friendly faces & genuinely warm folks.

Also in a strange turn of events, I ran into Mrs. Rice, my first grade teacher. She was just as sweet as I remembered and she remembered me. It's been 28 years since she was my teacher. Good Lord!

On one further Halloween-related note, I'm really missing the old Art Bell "Ghost to Ghost" call in show. There's something enthralling about people telling stories about their experiences with hauntings in the middle of the night. This program still airs but Mr. Bell is retired. If you're curious, you can probably find this show airing after midnight tonight on your local AM talk radio station (710 KEEL for example).

Boo to you all!

Random Notes for 2/11/09

Hi everyone,

I wish I had an agenda for today's post, but as it happens I do not.  This has been a typical day so far: I've gotten up @ 05:00, been to two hospitals, run an errand or two, eaten breakfast via drive-thru, and finished reviewing a mountain of phone messages, pharmacy requests and lab results.  As it's winter, I'm sure the office will be busy today.  Can you feel the excitement?

Yesterday I started on a new song.  It's probably only about ten-twenty minutes of work from being finished at this point, but I really like it.  It has a pretty rhythmic feel and I think it'll be a nice addition to any recording or live set.  If that's not enough, it also contains a reference to Young M.C.  What more could you ask for?

So here goes another day.  I need to get away from this medical thing for a while.  When can I retire?

Random Notes

Back in the day -- which, before we get into this post, is an expression that tells you a lot about the speaker/writer -- When was "back in the day" to you?  To me it means somewhere in the early 90's (usually)...

So, back in the day, one of my favorite parts of Rolling Stone Magazine was the "Random Notes" section.  You could read through it without a lot of commitment to a story and get the scoop about what was going on in the world of music.  So with that in mind, here are some random notes in the life of yours truly.

• Ben  and I are sitting outside/keeping watch/playing in the backyard.  I'm about to cook some hot dogs and he is gathering up his collection of 10-12 random balls.  In a few minutes, he'll be moving them to another spot.  Hopefully there are no snakes hiding out there in the yard that I've not scouted out.
• I got my Swart Space Tone Reverb Tweed in yesterday and it really lives up to the hype.  I'm the proud owner of several really nice tube amps, but I could easily see this amp being used the most.  It's very simple but it sounds nice and driven at manageable volumes.  The one thing I was afraid of with this amp was that I wouldn't be able to make it loud enough to keep up with drums and other instruments in a live setting.  I no longer have that fear.  Let's hear it for 5 watts!  
• I've been working on the design of the new Will Maranto website and I've got my specs worked out.  I've just got to communicate it to the web designer I'm going to use and get it done.  Soon you'll all be able to witness my music in all its glory.  The world may not be ready for that kind of access.
• Molly and I are on a crusade to sell off a bunch of stuff on eBay.  We both love the idea of moving a bunch of our old stuff into glorious cash-money on Paypal that we can turn into more stuff we don't need.  I love the smell of capitalism in the morning!
• I've been reading a series of novels by Vince Flynn lately.  They're reminiscent of Tom Clancy without the long-winded build up he is sometimes guilty of.  I'm currently reading Executive Power.  I recommend reading Transfer of Power first if you are looking for some good entertainment.
• The writer of this humble blog would like to wish each and every one of you a blessed, joyous and prosperous New Year.