Completion

i think i'm ready to roll..

i'm suspect that the advil cold and sinus is taking effect, and the sudden relief i'm experiencing from a cold that has been taking care of me is making me unreasonably optimistic. i'll ride it anyway.

let's start with the excitement.



i dropped off the masters (well, the master, plus a backup copy) of my new record today at indie pool. they gave me an ETA of about 10 days for the discs to come back from the factory. i got the finished copies from sieg last night, so this morning i went in early and had a listening party in post sound 2. here, at the end of all things, i'm happy. this was a severely long-winded project.. or it feels that way. i started with these songs so long ago.. just ideas, you know, and little guitar lines. trying them out every now and then with jimmy, putting thoughts together as lyrics. it was going to be just some songs, and then an EP, and then finally a full blown record. james jumped on board, and has been really great to work with, and now, all of a sudden it's complete.

it really did drive me for a while there. the tracking sessions were done all over the place.. home at mom and dads, our apt. in waterloo, then in Toronto, and also at CTV. everything changed and took shape, and grew exponentially. i borrowed so much gear, and time, from such great friends. boombatty gave me studio time, and his tele, gleason gave me his tornado, and his JCM, and of course, more pedals than i was used to dealing with. chuck threw in his les paul, jimmy, his bassman, amp, and, of course, his ideas about music, production, and what things should sound like, as well as a few listening parties for two. and finally, james hopped on board and lent his hand for all the packaging and the look of the whole thing, which, by the way, is going to be badass.

that's really a pretty great list of people as i look it over. and yet, for all that, it was a remarkably individual project. which is to say... outside of a bit of time in swampsongs studio with boombatty, and mastering at beach road with sieg, this whole thing came together with nobody else around. granted, that may not be the best for the music, but at the same time, i think this really is the closest thing i could possibly create as a representation of who i am and who i've been over the past year. i'll avoid the utter heaviness, cause that's no fun. just, do me a favor, and, when/if you decide to buy a copy (on itunes, or jonbartel.com, or from my trunk, so soon!) take an hour, turn it up, and listen. it was so much fun, and, at times, extremely frustrating, but, in the end, very exciting. can't wait for you to hear it!


other than that, the excitement here is generally wrapped up in waiting for yet another addition to our family! steve and vik are past due now, so it really should be anytime. i can't wait!! it sucks that cyn and war and finnley are away out west, and we're not gonna meet little fin for a few months yet. can't wait for that. but steve and vik are just up the road!! i love it.


i'm reading another great book, too. called 'three cups of tea' at the suggestion of kar. more to come on that, but for now, i'll say that it's got my mind moving again, and my heart, which is good. i need that.

hope you're feeling better than i am.

J

HNIC

Last weekend was a fantastic one.

Sunday morning found me heading out to the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga for a setup day. Monday was the start of two days of recording the Toronto Symphony Orchestra playing the theme for Hockey Night In Canada. As you'll no doubt recall, CTV purchased the tune from it's original owner when the CBC decided not to pay the asking price. as such, we were able to re-record the track with the TSO to create a more up to date sounding mix.

Needless to say, it was an awesome experience. This recording was a real leap forward in terms of the technology we used and the extent to which we used it.. for the audio saavy, it was, apparently, the largest 'digital microphone' use recording to be done to date, anywhere. all told, i think we were using upwards of 30 or 35 neumann digitals to capture the orchestra and the hall. additionally, it was my first introduction to the concept of fiber rings as a means of pushing lots of audio a long way.

life, outside of work, is moving along. i should be getting the final masters back from sieg on monday or tuesday, at which point i can send the record out for manufacturing. kar's head first into school now, so it's busy around here. i'm finding the need to back up again, slow down, rethink everything.. i've had a few episodes lately of.. frustration.. where i can clearly see that i'm offline, and doing a very selective job of sharing my kindness. if all i do is work and sleep, cynicism is quick to come knocking, along with frustration and impatience. life life life. purpose can be tough to nail down at times..

this one is weird.

If i die before we talk again, can i ask for something?

don't do the whole funeral operation for me, k? no expensive casket, no flowers, no walking silently down the centre aisle. tell you what, do it like this. i'll draw it out. i'm serious. if you don't hear from me between now and then, here's how to do it:

- cremate me. i don't have much interest in being left in the ground. take my ashes, and let them go somewhere outside. doesn't matter much where, i guess. even just a field. just, on god's good earth.

- no ceremony. if you need to have a public moment, for the family and such, then do it quick, and wear jeans.

- after that, everybody is invited to a to be determined location for a bbq. have some drinks, and enjoy each other. go ahead and laugh. turn up the music. i'm cool with it. the only money spent on my funeral should be the money that goes into the burgers and beer for the bbq. and, i guess, the cremation is probably all kinds of money. and when it happens, however it happens, and then this comes up, and everybody goes.. well, he SAID that he wanted it that way, but.. you know.. he can't have really thought it through.. cause, we REALLY should have it in the church with the casket..' stop. i've thought it through.

why am i saying this...

i guess tonight i decided that i was ready. i was out for a walk, and i thought about it, and eventually came to the decision that i was good with it. and my life has nothing to do with ceremonial tradition, and doing everything the way it's always been done, and following protocol, and neither does my faith, and neither should my funeral. i'm not saying i'm a hippy who wants a wild and wacky funeral.

i'm just saying.. whatever you're like when you're at your best... when you're most comfortable, having the most fun.. that's what it should be like. sooo.. for me... walking up the fairway on a quiet morning, or playing guitar out on the patio... so make it like that.

J

a life well lived

Last night, i went to bed at 8:00pm. i was tired, and i hopped in bed and started reading at about 7:00. and by 8:00, i was a gonner. and then, kar came to bed at 10:30, and i woke up, and of course i was then wide awake. so i tried to sleep a bit more, but it was a completely useless cause, and i eventually headed out to the couch to watch tennis.

and then, out of the corner of my eye, i thought i saw something. but i wasn't sure, and when i looked, there was nothing there. but i was pretty sure i did see something, so i stared at that exact spot on the carpet for the next minute straight. nothing happened. i saw nothing. and then, just as i was looking away, i saw it again, and i looked back. and there he was.



i watched him hustle around for a while. the little dude is so darn cute, you really just don't want to take him out... so i didn't.

eventually, i fell asleep. this morning, i relayed the details of my evening's experience to kar, only to find that.. for whatever reason, she was less enthused than i was bout this new guest.

unfortunately, my cause was not particularly furthered when, a few minutes later, the furry fella decided to hop out from behind the dresser while kar was doing her hair. he caught my eye from behind kar's back, and i did my best to give him that imploring, 'cmon man, i wanna help you here, but you gotta HELP me help you...' look... but the damage was all but done.

so it's with some measure of sadness that i tell you that, following the day's work, i made a stop, performed my spousal duty, and made my purchase



i'll keep you posted, but i think this story is all but over. i'd like to say he lived a long and happy life, but i just don't know. i mean, he looked happy, but... it was dark, and.. i just hope he was happy.