I was talking with my uncle recently. He’s a guitar picker too.
He wanted us to jam today, but I told him my fingers are in pretty bad shape and that I’m giving them a few days.
We got on the subject of famous guitarists from the past. He mentioned Stevie Ray Vaughan and his struggles with his fingers, loading up on many pain pills before shows just to make it through. I don’t know if that’s true, but according to my uncle it is. I’ve done similar things over the years just to get by when i had to play, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of musicians have.
These next two songs were recorded recently, and I barely made it through them because of my current finger situation.
I’ve been listening to a lot of ’90s country the past few days, so I thought I’d share a couple.
Actually the Randy song was from 1989 and the Keith song was 2oO3 so I just lied lol they just felt ’90s to me 😁
Hope you enjoy, and thanks for listenin’ partner 🤠
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Hard Rock Bottom Of Your HeartYou’ll Think Of MeAlternate AAlternate B
I woke this morning with the blues… the Sunday blues, to be more exact.
I was reminded of Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” and for a moment I could feel myself walking that lonely sidewalk. I could almost smell the fried chicken.
Then my heart turned to others.
So I decided to forget myself, pray for those whose blue is a much darker shade than my own… and maybe even try on their shoes for a little while in my head.
So about these songs…
For the Lauren Daigle song “Still Rolling Stones,” I decided to amp it up a bit with the guitar lick. This is the first time I’ve ever tried to play it, and I just thought I’d do it a little differently.
And “Worn” by Tenth Avenue North was actually the very first song from the bathroom that I ever posted. I hid it inside another post though, so it was easy to miss. I thought I’d share it again.
As we search for meaning and purpose… some things are inevitable in life, like change.
In the pursuit of connection, some things are instinctual… like trying to bond with others, to feel understood, to love, and to be loved.
Some things have always been so from the beginning… like heartbreak, for example. It’s just as timeless.
“Making Believe” is a country song originally written by Jimmy Work in 1955, and it became a massive hit that same year for Kitty Wells. I love Mike’s version of it… it’s one of my favorite Social D songs.
The second song is “Born to Lose.” Although it shares a title with another country song from the ’40s by Ted Daffan and his Texans… it’s an original Mike Ness song.
I also added two great rare live performances of these songs. Mike has a great stage presence and really connects with the fans at his shows. He’s always seemed like just one of the guys… a fan himself.
Some things we just inherently understand, right? Whether we’ve lived long or are trying to figure it all out today.
So these next two are my very first ones that I did in the bathroom, both are a little more lo-fi and raw, before I started using Lexis Audio Editor… and before I knew I’d be posting them for everyone to hear. 😁
I started playing guitar in November of 1988. I was 14. I had no intention of learning, but after the tragic death of my best friend, a guitar found its way to me one night and somehow made a way for me—a way to face things.
Music has always been the heart of me.
But a handful of years ago, I arrived at a place inside where it just didn’t matter anymore. Life was hitting me hard. I lost the fire. The desire for it. So I stopped playing completely for over three years and honestly wasn’t sure I’d ever play again.
Then recently, something started bubbling up in me. I could feel it coming back, strong.
So about three or four months ago, I picked it back up, and I honestly feel like that kid again. Maybe even more than before.
Since then, I’ve been playing most every day for a few hours, conditioning my fingers and getting my calluses back. A few people close to me have been asking me to record and share some songs with them, so that’s what I’ve been doing.
I started recording in my room but eventually moved to the bathroom because the acoustics are much better. It’s nothing fancy—just me, my guitar, and a simple app on my phone called Lexis Audio Editor.
As the recordings started piling up, I decided to make it a series. A few people here on WordPress had also been asking me to share, so here we are.
Honestly, these posts are nothing more than me sitting around doing what I normally do. They just happen to be captured this time.
Also, many of these are recorded late at night while others are sleeping. So I try to play and sing loud enough to make it decent without waking the dead. 😁
Hey yall… I was thinking. I’ve got so many recordings from the past few months, and I’m adding to them almost nightly. So for now, I think I’ll do two posts a week. If it gets to be too much, I’ll stop haha.
So I decided to start this series because I thought it would be fun to share and let yall see what I’ve been up to over the past couple of months.
I started doing these recordings about two months ago. A mix of Christian and secular. During the first month, I was just using the WhatsApp recorder, so the sound quality is pretty rough—very lo-fi—but on some of those I still managed to captured some cool moments.
About a month ago, I downloaded Lexis Audio Editor, and the sound quality is a lot better. This week I have two songs for you… Cruise by Florida Georgia Line and Your Winter by Sister Hazel, which I recorded last night. I also tried singing it in the key of D for the first time.
Anyway, I hope yall enjoy them. Thanks for listening.🎙️
When I was a kid… I wore Superman underwear— ’cause he was my hero… 🦸♂️
Then I got older— and found out Superman wears Chuck Norris underwear 😄
But here’s one most people don’t know…
Many of your favorite artists— across every genre—
they’re secretly wearing Elton John underwear.
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I’ve been a fan of Elton since I first picked up a guitar as a teenager… and over time—I started noticing something…
the greats… they all love him too.
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I saw an interview with Axl Rose once— they asked what he listens to… no pause— he says “Elton John.”
Then one night… I was watching one of the late night shows… I believe it was Letterman…
Dave Grohl walks out solo with an acoustic guitar…
starts playing “Tiny Dancer”… He gets the audience to sing along…
one of those moments you don’t forget.
And later… I found out Dave Grohl loves him some Elton.
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So I started paying attention… and it’s everywhere. Across all genres… many have Elton in common.
His music is loved… admired… and listened to by his peers…
Fuel’s no different. Brett and Carl… they feel the same.
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Elton… bruh… you’re the man! 🙌…
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So today—
I’ve got two for you.
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🎵 Innocent Something Like Human — 2oO0
🎵 Daniel (Elton John cover) Something Like Human — 2oO0
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I love this cover of Daniel… it’s great… and it holds a deep place for me… I sang it on my guitar earlier tonight
But back in 2o12… I was hanging out with my friend Nathan… We were roommates… he was younger than me… like my little brother… so anyway… this song started playing…
Nathan told me how much it meant to him… said it reminded him of his older brother, Daniel… who had passed a few years earlier from a drug overdose…
Well… in 2o14… I lost Nathan… also to drugs…
I knew his brother too…
So now… when I hear this song… I don’t just hear it—
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I remember them both…
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Also “Innocent” is one of my all-time favorite songs… I’m not sure what it is about it… but it just gets better and better every time for me… and I love when the drums kick in around the 1-minute mark…
Also I’ve included a bonus interview with Carl & Brett… it’s really cool… I think…
Heart of Loia `'.,°~ 