There are those kind of friends that you wish you saw more often, but for whatever reason you don’t have the opportunity to see. I saw one of those yesterday at the Imogene & Willie Thursday taco/music thing in Nashville.

In our brief catch up he said something twice that was a completely new idea…at least to me. As we were talking, in two different instances he said something about “spending creative energy.” I didn’t really notice it the first time, but when he said it the second time it hit me. I’ve always felt like I could do everything, it was only a matter of how much time I had to allot to something. But lately when I finish working on a website, or working to build the business side of what we do, designing clothing, working on the non-profit (everything burns), working on photo editing or attempting to take photos, or even think about fixing our new motorcycle and getting parts, or thinking about what I would change in our house…I find after doing this stuff I don’t have the desire or that illusive “spark” (inspiration) to pick up the guitar or the sit down at the piano to create music. When my friend said his passing “spending creative energy” comment, I realized that since I’m so easily distracted, I spend my creative energy on random things without even realizing it. If “creative energy” is a currency, I spend mine on things I’m not passionate about everyday.

Hopefully this will be more than just a realization for me, and I can start to pour my creative energy into things I am truly passionate about.

Today was supposed to be “Monday Fun-day”…we dubbed it that because we are in Florida (we’ve been here for four days), and had a day off today, which we were planning on spending at the beach, relaxing, resting, and maybe even making a visit to the nearby go-kart and mini golf establishments.

One thing people don’t realize is that even if we tour to amazing places, we don’t really get to spend much time seeing those places.  We pretty much see the inside of our van and whatever venue we are playing at, regardless of what part of the country we are in.  So we were really excited about the thought of a day off at the beach, and the possibility of actually getting to hang out at the beach!

Anyway, we ended up getting up kind of late because we got back from our show last night late, and stayed up after that because after a show we have tons of energy, and even if we did want to go right to bed, it takes awhile to wind down.  In fact, most times, even though we are exhausted, we end up staying up late and talking for awhile, or watching a tv show on the computer or something similarly mindless, because that ends up feeling relaxing, and we can’t just go to sleep.  It’s strange.  The show, by the way, was unexpectedly really great.  We played at an amazing venue, but to maybe just 10 people…but it was a very emotional show.  It’s always hard when we put so much effort into loading in to a venue, sound checking, getting everything ready for a great show..only to have a couple of people show up…So last night was a hard night.  Chuck was very honest about how we were feeling, and talked about it from stage because our song “Calm Inside the Storm” pretty much deals with the same emotions we were feeling last night.  Anyway, it was a very real moment and I think it resonated not just with all of us on stage, but also the people who were there listening.  So, that was cool.

But, back to today..we woke up late, had some breakfast, got ready to go to the beach..and by the time we got down there, we were there for only an hour before it started to storm.  So we trudged all of our beach gear back inside, went and got a few groceries, and then Chuck and I got on a business call for 3 hours.  By that time it was close to 9pm, and Chuck had wanted to take me out on a date (just the two of us) – so we hurried out to eat.  It was a very sweet time to connect and relax for a minute, after, needless to say, not the “Monday Fun-day” we had had hoped for.  Meanwhile, the boys had walked down to mini golf (they didn’t want to let that one go!), and we met them afterward for a drink at a bar at the end of the street where we’re staying.  They had a TouchTunes juke box that had “Calm Inside the Storm” in it, and we had a great time playing it in the bar, and talking to the only other two people there: the bartender and a guy named ‘Unkle Kevin’.  Came back to the awesome condo right on the beach that we’ve been staying at and played a very long, hilarious game of ‘Life’ (the board game), while listening to an entire 4-CD compilation set called ‘Kings of Swing’.

So, I went from having expectations of a great day, to being kind of bummed out, to ending up having a really beautiful and fun night with some people who have become my best friends.  Life really is seldom what we expect..but I find if I keep an open mind it’s usually better.

So tonight is another late night.  I’m writing this at 4:30am, waiting for Chuck to be ready to go to bed.  As on most nights, everyone else has a great time and goes off to sleep, whereas Chuck hangs out and then sits down at his computer and goes back to work!  Answering emails, editing photos, thinking about the next few shows we have coming up and things further down the line.  This work never ends…but we are amazed by it, and it gives us so much every day.  I hope other people feel the same.  When I think that they do, it makes everything so worth it.  And if they don’t…well, then at the very least, it’s what makes me feel alive, and stretches me, and gives me joy – and I don’t think I can ask for anything more.

-Pap

“Mending You & Me” – from Believe
This is a beautiful little song that I hope to incorporate into the live show someday. Such a vulnerable window into a hard time in my relationship with Pap. Every relationship goes through times of immense joy but also times of brokeness. The truth, is that it’s the willingness to stand behind your commitment that will carry a relationship through the years.

I remember recording this song late at night, with Michael King, in Nashville at Fireside Studios. An old SG (sold) and a vintage MXR analog delay pedal. Adam Binder played bass on this recording. I love Pap’s subtle vocals on this recording.

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Some photos taken at a show we did in Nashville, TN at Trevecca University –

Many new fans may not be aware, but even though “Everything Burns” is our official debut album, there was actually a lot of demo-quality stuff that I did before, that has shaped what SHIROCK is today. I wanted to share some of these songs and early recordings with you to give you an idea of where it all started. In some of these early recordings you’ll hear Pap singing background vocals, my brother Scott (KCORIHS) was playing drums on most of these, and I’d typically play the keyboards, most of the guitars, some bass, and do the string arrangements. Jon Surratt played drums on some of these early songs, and Greg Everett and Richard Crossman on some additional guitars. There were a handful of other friends and musicians involved in these early recordings also.

All of this stuff was recorded in Detroit, MI with friend and producer Michael King. We did 3 full albums, and a handful of other recordings together. He played a vital role building a foundation for where we are today. A lot of this stuff was recorded not too long after Pap and I had met, just as she was beginning to be more involved in the writing process.

Check out some of these recordings, and we’ll be posting more soon…
love: Chuck
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“Automate My Mind” – from Believe
One of my favorite early demos. Mike King did an incredible job with the loop for the “machine” noises I was hearing in my head. And I love the way the song builds…

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“Mission To The World” – from Believe
You can kind of hear this song being a little bit of a pre-cursor to “New Solution”…kind of. Also this is the only song that I will probably ever ‘rap’ in, if you can call it that.