It’s been about a whole year since I’ve written on this site. From what I learned in my Music Business courses…that’s not the best. Oh well. This is my website and I’ll do what I please with it.
My 2022 was an interesting year for sure. I did some things and some stuff as well as more things and stuff. It’s not that it wasn’t worth sharing, I just didn’t feel the need to tell anyone at the time.
I went through a weird phase of “does anything even matter?” this year. I haven’t posted much on social media and kept mostly to myself with music based things. A big reason for my anti-social behavior was that I was finishing the Associates program at FRCC and I just had that goal high on my priority list. I ended up taking the free therapy sessions in my final semester and my therapist really helped me look at the things that I do in a different light. I apparently show signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder…who knew right? All I can really say is that if you have ever thought about doing therapy for stress and anxiety, just do it. It really does help.
Like I said before, I definitely did a lot of things last year that are worth talking about so here it goes… I finished up my second to last semester in May and to be honest, trying to think that far back about what was on my mind and all the events that took place is very cloudy. I started playing a lot of golf in the spring to give myself something to do. I got a few of my friends in on it and even used the last Alfred and the Teddinators tour as a way to make a golf trip happen. I’ve been playing golf for a long time and it dawned on me this year that I am truly an old man. Eryn always jokes that I am 30 something going on 70. She’s not wrong.
A really big event in ’22 was when Eryn and I took Teddi to see Katy Perry in Vegas in June. Pride month in Vegas is exactly when and where you want to take your sheltered Christian offspring to a Katy Perry concert. Trust me. It’s awesome when they tell you how they feel about showgirls. I of course cried a little seeing Teddi light up every time the band started one of Teddi’s favorite songs. The song “Roar” for some reason hits me right in the feels when the spawn sings it. She belts it every time. And even though it may seem like I’m super macho (jk), deep down I’m a sensitive and gentle man. I cry at nearly every Disney movie. I might have the low T. It turns out that Katy Perry’s drummer is Tony Royster Jr. and the dude is a drumming hero of mine. So I just blamed my tears on bucket list stuff so Teddi and Eryn wouldn’t think I was a big ol’ baby. Yeah, I might have the low T.
Musically, I really did stay busy last year. Octopus Tree released “Toro” online and it was the first release that I got to mix/master for that band. I’ve got my likes and dislikes about it, but it’s out and people seem to have positive reactions to it. We got to play a pretty big Denver festival and are about to release another song really soon. Look out for that one. We even started playing some covers so that we could make some more money and play for 3-4 hrs. So if you’re reading this and need a band for anything, we play absolutely everything.
The Teddinators went on tour like I mentioned before. We went as far as Mobile Alabama and played shows and lots of golf along the way. We also released the first single “Soul Juice” from the album of the same name which should be out in the next month or so. Dillon does most of the production for that group and he really does a great job of it. So if you see him, tell him to keep up the good work.
The tour was cool because we went to the town where Dillon and I met in the 2nd grade. It was wild seeing all the old spots in Crowley, Louisiana that are difficult to remember having not been there for so long and then having insane flashbacks of childhood memories. It’s another reason that I love touring with my bands. Traveling and music are what drive me. Both at the same time are my happy place.
My final semester at Front Range was quite the roller coaster for me. I needed two electives and decided on taking piano and vocal instruction classes. I really enjoyed that because they made me feel more confident in my singing and playing. My teachers were awesome and if you’re interested in either of those classes let me know and I can give you their names.
On the other hand, I have mixed feelings about my other classes. Physics was great because I’m a nerd and love science. I did great in that class. My only other class was called Intercultural Communications, which is a fancy way of saying Woke as F**k. I hated that class. That’s just my opinion though and according to what I learned in said class, everyone’s opinion matters…unless of course it differs from the grand narrative of the professor’s opinion, than you’re wrong and you only deserve a B because even though your papers are well written and at a collegiate level, you aren’t woke enough. I passed. That’s all I needed to do.
My final project was great. I worked with my friend Marcie Smith who is an incredible vocalist and you should check her out. I played all the instruments and produced 3 songs with her on the vocals. It was my favorite part of my last semester. We got 100% on the thing ’cause we are awesome.
Needless to say, I am done with this chunk of higher education and have myself a fancy Associates of Applied Science in Recording Arts. I’m very proud of that accomplishment and am looking forward to what my experience and new education will bring me in the future. I am actually working on getting an internship abroad because like a said, traveling and music…
Eryn and I made a trip to Prague in November ’22 to visit her friend Ian who is a producer there. I really loved the city and was excited to pick Ian’s brain about how he’s gone about making a living doing what I just went to school for. It was such a great trip and enlightening for many reasons. I even got to play my first paid international gig! I am talking to him now about trying for an internship so I’ve got my fingers crossed and my resume up to date. Wish me luck.
Now that I’m not in school, I’ve had to put in my notice at Globalsound Studios. It was really perfect for when I had the limited time to work, but in order to financially survive, I’m going back to doing more construction than lessons. I’m not upset about the change. I’m just gonna miss my students and the staff there and hope they all continue on their own musical journeys with everlasting smiles. Much love to all of them.
I’m currently building a garage with an upstairs apartment at my residence. It’s something I’ve been missing in my life. Not the garage, but the nearly mindless labor of building houses. It’s only nearly mindless for me because I’ve done it for so long and after all my therapy sessions this last year I learned that I take great joy from finishing tasks. Building a house is literally finishing a massive list of tasks and moving on to the next. I enjoy it. Honestly, we had a few issues with crews on this project which is the main reason I had to jump in, but I’m kind of happy about it. I get to build a house…my house.
Any who. I’ll try to be more diligent in the internet world and social media presence this year. I’m out of school now, so I got nothing better to do HA!
Thanks for reading.
Joe
jpalmermusic.com 