more from the night in the FLICKR set HERE

I figure it’s been a while since I actually wrote something discussing what I’ve been up to. Well I’ve been pretty wrapped up in trying to make life better so that I can make better music, if that makes any sense. There were some ultimate highs and lows since Scifentology II dropped and I’ve decided nearly two years later that it’s time to take a break from touring and playing shows for a little while (not too long) to try and finish up my Gas Galaxy EP, and another project that has been under wraps for quite sometime now, before I go back out. For those that have been following my twitter and who know me personally, you may know that for about the last 6 months I’ve been putting together a small but adequate studio set up at home and getting it up and running so I can be more productive musically and literally produce, explore, and learn the engineering/software aspect of it. It’s a challenge I’ve been pretty animate about and with the help of some of my tremendously talented friends, specifically one who is not with us anymore, it’s gotten very serious. I think what will come out of it, when it does, is going to showcase a new step in the way I approach my music and one that has already taught me much more than I knew prior to going in. Gas Galaxy is almost finished but I’ve decided I had to further perfect some things and add one more song, which I’m in the process of making right now. At this stage I’ve become a lot more nitpicky about songs although now the outcome will be exactly how I intended for them to be, where that wasn’t necessarily the case in the past. I believe as an artist, getting your art as close to what you think defines perfect, is something you never stop working towards. At least for me it is. If you came to the last couple of shows, you saw I played two new songs from the ep aside from Gas Galaxy to see how they would go over and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at the response from songs that people never heard prior. I mean EXTREMELY amped. 2009 was a great year for working with new people and accomplishing things that I never have before. CCWM is as strong as ever and moving at a pace that would be hard for anyone to keep up with let alone those of us who are involved. Glad those of you, new fans and old, are around for the ride and in our company as we put out new music and play shows. We just make the music and hope you continue to move forward with us as we approach the last year of another decade, and beyond for that matter. I expect Gas Galaxy to come out early 2010 now and I think it’s appropriate to wait until this year is over anyway to put out my next release. Some people have been asking about what happened to the monthly blog I wrote on Definitivejux.net. Basically I took a break from that too in order to free up some more time to concentrate on new tunes and not have to worry about making another deadline, in life. I’m going to make an effort to write more here at yakballz.net, aside from the normal video/picture updates, movie reviews etc. Expect the unexpected. I wish you all well, a happy holidays, and a sincere THANK YOU for supporting what the fuck I do.

Y

WHAT A NIGHT!

CLICK HERE FOR THE WHOLE FLICKR SET

video by Damien Neva

COMING TO YOUR TOWN BIATCH!

10/08/09 in Portland, ME at Asylum
10/09/09 in Providence, RI at Jerky’s Live Music Hall
10/10/09 in Allston, MA at Harpers Ferry

photo by Damien Neva

photo by Janeworld

I went to Nick Hook’s a little while back in LES with Janeworld to wrap up some things on Gas Galaxy. Chauncey was staying at Daryl’s closeby so we got up and kicked it. I’m thinking there are still some things I want to add to this project. I’m super amped on it but I can’t just let it out without me feeling like it’s a complete and well rounded body of work even for an E.P., and I think I want to do one more song, of which I will produce myself. So we will see what happens. Since I’ve been home from tour I’ve been making beats and getting a small studio wrig up and running. A new work in progress that will allow me to make and record music whenever the fuck I want, naked.

Nick Hook plays keys for Cubic Zirconia and is a great friend of mine.

photo by Todd Westphal

Me, Sean, and Cage wake up at Aes’s and meet Timmy and Chauncey outside. We still have to pick up Todd at his uncles in Oakland. SF was good to us. We drive a few hours and we’re starving our asses off. We opt for Del-Taco instead of Subway. I like some Del Taco every once in a while so I’m into it. There is a stretch of road when you are driving from SF to LA on I-5 where it gets super hot, like desert hot, and there are signs for you to shut your air conditioner off because chances are you will overheat somewhere along the way. And without fail there are always cars on the side of the road steaming with their hoods open. This time there was a cab of a truck smoking and it was obvious by what was left of the skeleton that it went up in flames and burnt to a crisp not too long before we got there. We finally pull up to the El Rey theater after sitting in LA traffic. Tonight seems like it will be the biggest show of the tour. The El Rey is an awesome venue; really sick sound, floor, staff, backstage. It’s just top notch and a prestigious place to play. I’ve played here once before with EL-P also. This time I think I’m more prepared but a little more anxious about everything, especially since still I’m trying to bounce back from feeling like shit from days before. There are already some fans outside. The night is underway and my good friend, and founder of SCIFEN, Barmak Badaei, came through and we kicked it. Also surprise cameo’s from our Cardboard City brother Shia “Beouf” LaBeouf as well as EL-P. LA Weekly was also there covering the show and took some awesome pictures which you can check out HERE. Showtime and I walked out to a screaming mob. Adrenaline took over and by the time I got off I was soaking wet to the point where I had to towel off and change clothes. Cage went up and lit the place up, literally, as the strobe light flashed through his set. It was a great performance solidifying LA as one of the best cities of the tour, if not the best, yet. We take it to the afterparty at an undisclosed location and cap off the night. WE WIN.

I’m late. I had to finish packing yesterday officially because I slept home the night of the first show so I don’t officially count that as being on tour, yet. It didn’t matter anyway because I didn’t miss anything. The time before shows are kind of boring; hanging around, waiting to soundcheck, forever. It’s ten minutes to eight and I still haven’t checked yet. Apparently someone told someone else that “Yak was good” and didn’t need to soundcheck. I got a little annoyed when I heard this info and told Todd Cameron Westphal that I hadn’t checked and he handled it by pushing back doors. Speaking of Todd, I want to apologize to him about yesterdays post bc some people said it might have been offensive. Finally I’m free to go and I hit up this Tai spot down the road called Song that I ate at the last time I played Southpaw and will always eat at from now on when I play there. So good. Back to the club. New York shows get awkward sometimes because I end up seeing a lot of different people who I might know, but not really, and want to have the deepest of convo’s and don’t really pick up on me actually trying to get mentally prepared. I prefer not to go down that road before I have to play but somehow it happens time and time again. Anyway, it’s showtime. The crowd is chanting so loud I don’t even hear where I’m supposed to come in. I suspect the same thing happened last night. Sure enough I didn’t hear it but I caught it, barely. For round 2, the crowd was also super into it. It seems like a lot of people got Scifentology II and downloaded Gas Galaxy. At the end of my set I noticed some people come on stage from behind. It was some of my Cardboard City brothers, Daryl Palumbo, Jarvis, Julien Gilbert. That was awesome. My dude Nick Hook of Cubic Zirconia was also in the building. EL broke a month of sobriety. Also I met so many fans that mentioned they have been following us for a long time and I can’t explain how much that means to me. Cage, F.Sean, and Chauncey killed of course. I think one of my favorite new Cage songs live is Hell-Oh. It’s Bonkers. The boys are back.

Enjoy the free download of Gas Galaxy live from the first show

UPDATE
For a few more photos from the past two days click HERE

On Tuesday afternoon I took the train up to Torrington, CT to visit F. Sean Michael Martin at the CC (Cardboard City) Mansion East and rehearse with Chauncey for Cage’s upcoming Depart From Me tour for which I will be the main support. read more after the jump. (more…)