Back In The Saddle

Last night we played our first show since our Christmas break. Our first show back is usually a little rusty, but this time everything went quite well! It felt good to have a guitar in my hands again.

We were in Macon, Georgia for a New Year's event there. I met the guys from Fee for the first time. They're a fantastic band! If you haven't heard of them, check them out. Steve Fee is a worship singer/songwriter.... his band is great, and their music is really fresh.

After having a month off, I have a renewed appreciation for the amazing experiences God has blessed me with. With so much time to think over the past few weeks, I've been thinking about influence and legacy. Maybe the timing of President Bush leaving office prompted the legacy part.

Over the last month, I've noticed how easily life continues without you. I didn't play any shows, I didn't see any of my friends in other bands, and I mostly spent time with family (which was a treat, for sure). While I was home, I came across some pictures of friends who were still out on tour, and it struck me how life would so easily go on without me. I don't mean that in a "poor me" kind of way, it more struck me as a reason to be motivated. I ended up thinking about how important it is to have purpose in your life.

If I am not making a positive difference in the lives of those around me, then what is the point? If I'm taking more than I'm giving, and living my life selfishly, then I certainly won't be missed when I'm gone. Maybe this is selfish in its own way, but I'd like to be missed when I'm gone. I want to live in such a way that the world is a better place with me in it. For anyone who is honest with themselves, that is a scary thought, because being that kind of person is no easy thing. This is where the motivation and determination come in.

In 2009, I want to be more positive.... I want to find the best in people, and I want to find the best in me. I want to be less selfish, and more generous. I want to be more pleasant, and less particular. I want to be more kind, and less curt. I also want to do 100 sit ups every day. That can't hurt, right?

I have been blessed beyond my most ambitious expectations. In traveling around the country playing shows, it is me that has been blessed by each of you whom I've met along the way. I hope I can continue to be a part of your lives over the coming years, and while I can't imagine how I could possibly give as much as I've received, I hope I can make a sincere effort to try.

j.

Merry Christmas with Mr. Finley

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We had some family visiting our home this Christmas.... Sisters and Cousins and friends.... aaaaaand Mr. Finley.



This is Finley. He belongs to Daniel and Bonnie.... Finley needed somewhere to hang out while they went up to Canada for Christmas, so we've had him at our home for a couple weeks. Our puppy Tilly loves having Finley around! They wrestle and play for hours, and when they're tired out, they jump up on the couch and find someone to curl up next to.

I have to say, though, sometimes he does get himself into trouble. Regular everyday things sometimes create some intense interest.



It's been fun having Finley with us for Christmas. In the next few days he'll be going back home, and the Hawk Boys and I will be heading back out on the road. We've had a bunch of time off, and now it's time to hit the trail again.

We're playing at the Macon Centerplex in Macon, Georgia on Monday Dec 29th, and at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia on Tuesday December 30th.

Hope to see ya there!

j.

1983 (2009 Mix)

There's a song on my record called 1983. It's actually sort of a record-intro... In any case, I was asked to do an alternate mix/arrangement for something, so I did so this week. I thought it would be fun to share.




j.

Under The Canopy - International Availability

I've had a few requests from music listeners overseas about my new record. It will be available through iTunes and more within a few weeks, but for now, Under The Canopy is available internationally at this site!

http://www.cdbaby.com/steingard

j.

The Name's Bond, James Bond

So I brought my old Nintendo 64 back with me from Canada.... aaaaaand it's occupied most of my time since. The only game I could find with the system is 007 Goldeneye...




I forgot how fun this game is! Really, it was so ahead of its time.... and was the predecessor to all the games like Halo and Call of Duty, etc. When people bring out their XBOXes and Playstations I don't feel like much of a gamer, but I love the old systems!

Jess and I have had a Super Nintendo for years.... With Super Mario World, Donkey Kong, and a bunch of other games.... The older games just seem like more fun to me.... I don't know, maybe it's nostalgia. In any case, Nintendo 64 is about as advanced as I'm interested in going!

Well, I beat Goldeneye after 2 days (on the easy setting, I'm still working on the hardest setting). I decided to look for some more games.... and there are so many I used to play when I was younger... 1080 Snowboarding, Mariokart 64, and a bunch of others. My search for games led me to a shop in Columbia, Tennessee, and here's what I found...



* Glorious Angelic "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh....." Here *

More games than I know what to do with!!!! I went for the 3-for-$20 deal. Not a bad deal.

Looks like I found a hobby to get me through these next 2 weeks off! And when we get back on the bus, I can bring my N64 into my bunk. YES.....

j.

New Section - Gear and Reviews

Hey Guys.... In order to separate the nerdy gear reviews and equipment lists from the everyday blogging, I've created a new section - Gear and Reviews. That way, you only have to read it if you're interested! haha.

I've got 3 reviews in there right now, and a list of current tour gear. More pictures and reviews will be coming soon!

j.

Review: Westone ES3X Triple Driver Molded In-Ears

Westone is about to launch a new version of their triple-driver molded in-ears... The ES3X. They had me test a pair out, and I've been enjoying them for a couple weeks now.

The standard ES3's (which have been available for a year or two) have a slight boost in the 3k-5k range, accentuating vocals, among other things. These drivers (ES3X), on the other hand, are largely flat, providing a smooth, accurate reproduction of sound sources. They are smooth and warm, and convey a sense of space in the sound they're producing. They make music sound BIG.

Part of the BIG-ness is the balance they seem to have in the bottom end. There are enough lows to provide a solid foundation without being overwhelming. Bass guitar tones feel substantial and full. Kick drums feel punchy and powerful.

The mids are well-crafted also. There is an openness in the lower midrange that is really pleasant. There is some internal porting going on, allowing the driver to "breathe" a bit, and this design really adds to the sense of space in the sound.

The highs are slightly less pronounced than I originally expected. My old single driver in-ears were quite bright, and high end frequencies were quite pronounced.... On these drivers, I can sense a dip in the high end (10k and up), especially when listening to sources that are normally quite sibilant.

On stage, this effect is quite pleasant. You can have a vocal fairly prominent in the in-ear mix without as much of the harsh sibilance from the voice, or from cymbal bleed. That being said, even with the 10k dip, the detail in high end sources is preserved remarkably. High-hats, tambourines, and shakers retain their attack and tone, and don't lose their presence in the mix.

Overall, these in-ear monitors are the most advanced, most thought-out, and most enjoyable molds I've ever used. They are particularly great for guitarists like myself, as guitar tones are wide and open in them. I can push the drivers to high levels of volume without distortion, so safe listening volumes are well within the headroom of the drivers. The tips of the earpieces are made of a softer material, that softens further as it warms up... It makes for quite a comfortable fit.

I'd recommend these ears to anyone looking for a great in-ear experience.... particularly to guitarists.

If you're in the market for custom molded in-ear monitors, or even universal-fit monitors or casual listening earphones.... be sure to check out Westone.

www.westone.com

j.

Let me Update Ya.

Ahhhhhh....... (that's the sound of me leaning back on my couch, kicking my feet up on my coffee table, and smiling)

It's been a great week. I spent a quick few days up in Canada, visiting my family and helping my parents pack up and move to a new home. It's been so awesome to be near my parents and brother and sister. It's funny to see where some of my habits come from.

We came back to Nashville, and there was nearly 6 inches of snow on the ground! Of course, Nashville drivers have absolutely no idea how to drive in bad weather, so there were accidents everywhere. Our own exit off the freeway was blocked by a tractor trailer that slid off the road. We waited half an hour for a tow truck to pull it out.

I spent most of yesterday playing with our new espresso machine... my family sent me home with it as a Christmas present, and it's awesome! I think I had 3 lattes yesterday. I started to feel weird after the third... I gave it a rest after that.

Another new thing in my life is a brand new Kroger across the street from my house! It's been open for 3 days now, and I've been going at least twice a day. It's funny how often you go to the grocery store when it's right across the street. Plus, they've been giving out free stuff to the first 500 customers every morning. Yesterday = Pizza. Today = Flowers. I wonder what they're giving out tomorrow!

Anyways... There is a little status update full of useless facts.... Not too much is going on until after Christmas when we start up with more shows again.... We've got some great plans in the new year!

j.

Canada Is COLD!

So I'm up in Canada for a few days, helping my parents move into their new home. All the kids are moved out now, and there's no need for them to live in the big family house anymore! They got themselves a little cottage type house, and it's awesome. So much character.

Anyways, as I arrived so did the COLD WEATHER. It was down to about 10 degrees (Fahrenheit). The cold was sharp like knives. Of course, this kind of weather isn't exactly uncommon here... it's just that I'm not accustomed to it anymore! The last couple Christmases I spent here were unusually mild, so it's been nearly 5 years since I've felt this kind of Canadian deep freeze.




I, of course, was not dressed for cold weather at all. I had gone through all my clothes at home before I left, and couldn't really find any warm clothes. In the end I gave up, and threw on my chucks (terrible winter shoes), and my hoodie/jacket combo. Not Warm.




Yesterday I walked up to my brother's house from my parent's. For that trek, I gave up and put on some real boots!




It's been a great trip, albeit short. I'm boxing up my dad's study right now. He needs to start printing out library cards and charging for access to his stash. I say this sincerely... I think he has more books than my Spring Hill Library.

The band has a few weeks off right now, and I'm gonna make the most of it. We hit the road again at the end of the month... and it's gonna be busy busy til May. I'm looking forward to a tour with tobyMac in Jan/Feb/March, and a tour with Mercy Me in March/April! Hope to see you there!

j.

Crowdsurfing Mom

A mom crowdsurfs at one of our shows... Jay makes note of this with razor-sharp tact.



j.

Fav Documentaries

I've watched a few great documentaries over the past year. Here are the ones I thought were the best:

1. The End of Suburbia


- Explores the questionable future of our fossil-fuel dependent society in the face of declining oil production.



2. Who Killed The Electric Car


- Documents the engineering, production, promotion, and subsequent mandatory recall and destruction of the GM EV1 electric car during the 1990's.


3. BBC Presents Global Dimming


- Discusses the little-heard-of phenomenon of Global Dimming, which may be masking the true severity of our global warming problem.


4. Planet Earth


- A Discovery Channel film featuring amazing footage of the earth, its ecosystems, and wildlife. The footage really is amazing.... Pretty awe-inspiring.


5. Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out


- Stewart Copeland, drummer of The Police, created this documentary with Super 8 footage compiled during the band's career. It's a fascinating look into this band.


That's my list for now. Each of these documentaries is fascinating for different reasons... The last two are a bit more uplifting than the first three.... But there's lots of interesting stuff in all of them!

j.

Bored, Lazy, and Grumpy

When I was a kid, I got bored often. I lived in 15 different houses (I think) growing up, but many of them were out in the country, with nothing but fields, creeks, and trees in walking distance. We didn't have Nintendo or Sega (all the rage at the time). My brother and sister and I did our best to entertain ourselves, but boredom got the best of us quite a bit... Especially in the summer.

My dear Mother had ways of dealing with our boredom. We quickly learned not to verbalize our restlessness, because my Mom would respond, "Well, I have plenty of things you could do..." We knew those "things" were chores. We would then rattle off some super-fun idea that had JUST occurred to us. "Oh, I could go fishing in the creek!" We all knew how good Mom was at coming up with chores. We had a 1 acre vegetable garden. Enough said. (In retrospect, I have fond memories of the hours spent in that garden.)

Nobody tells you that boredom isn't just a childhood thing.

Today, I am 25 years, 5 months, 10 days old, and I'm bored senseless.

The band has been doing weekend shows on the Revolve Tour this fall, and that's given us 5-ish days of per week since September. Some of us could spend months at home and not get restless. I cannot. I need a sense of direction. Multiple weeks at home rob me of that. When I get home from a long tour, or even a tiring weekend, I have the sense that I've EARNED some time off.... but if that time off is extended, it starts to feel undeserved and purposeless.

Here are a few things I've done to pass the time:

- Record an entire album (shameless plug - click the link above to purchase!)
- Clean and set up every instrument I own
- Watch 4 entire seasons of Grey's Anatomy
- Hang around Jess's work til she asks me to leave
- Call up friends with desperate coffee invitations
- Rebuild road cases
- Redesign this blog multiple times
- Scour the internet for useless facts
- Watch history documentaries
- Hit Command+Shift+T to refresh my email inbox 3,453 times a day

The worst thing about boredom is the guilt. I feel guilty because I get this nagging sense that if I'm bored, I should be doing chores. This morning Jess said, "If you're bored, you could mow the lawn." That was a very practical suggestion.

Some things don't change as you grow up.
Even when you're bored, you still don't want practical suggestions.

jonathan.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

It's snowing this morning in Tennessee. When I say snowing, I mean that if I look closely, I can see tiny white flecks against the dark background of my neighbour's roof. This isn't the snow I grew up with.... and I know they won't last on the ground. How disappointing.

Since moving to Tennessee, I've had nothing but green Christmases. Tragic. I want blizzards, snowdrifts, and 2 foot visibility. I want the snow to block the front door shut, and trap us inside to play board games and make hot chocolate. That's Christmas!

THIS is Christmas....



This is my parent's back porch. I miss this kind of snow sometimes.

You know it's funny.... People have no idea how to handle snow here. If half a dozen flurries fall from the sky, the schools close, and people don't go to work. People FREAK OUT. That is, unless they decide to drive somewhere... then they drive as if it's sunny with a high of 75. Tennessee drivers are brutal... they have no idea how to drive in bad weather (but that's another post).

Now I'm looking out my window, and I'm seeing some real snow. Oh boy, the Governor has probably declared a state of emergency.

Gotta go.

jonathan