Zach Brown: The Mixtape Diaries

From The Vault

Zach Brown — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 01:04:26 +0000

From The Vault: A Look Back At A Decade Of Demos

So I have been writing and recording music for over a decade now, but anything over 10 years old I think I will keep locked up forever because they are pretty terrible. This is a look back at some of my personal favorites, some of them are as recent as this year, and a couple steam back 10 years. Some are rougher than others, but they all are meaningful to me in some way. I performed and recorded all the tracks for these, including drums, guitar, vocals, bass and keys– with the exception of one song that I re-recorded for a compilation album. SO, if you are just sitting in your office all day today, and want to get to know me a little better, grab some headphones. These are in alphabetical order.

All Your Letters

I wanted this song to rattle. Even if you had it on low volume I wanted everything to rumble, because that’s how I felt. I experimented a little with the drums in the bridge, kind of tried to do something a little weird, but ultimately I don’t think it works. It just doesn’t fit. I like everything else though, especially the ending. It’s angry sounding.

Birthday Boy

This is a cover of my favorite ween song. I can’t remember how long ago I recorded this, but I actually like how it came out.

Dont Wait Up

Super fuzz, a little electronic-y as the song progresses. I LOVE it at about the 2:40 mark. An early premonition/insecure song as far as the lyrics go. I couldn’t have been more right.

I’ve Opened Up

One of those late night writes, didn’t spend hardly any time on this one… I think it took me a couple hours somewhere in the 2-4am part of the night. My vocals are terrible, all over the place, super pitchy and off key, but I love it like that.

Icecream & Bubble Gum

So soft and supple. Kind of a progressive song, slowly building. If you are an impatient person you probably wont be able to stand any of my songs, because nothing really happens till the end. It’s just how I write. This is another example.

Just Tell Me

This is one of my favorite songs I have ever written. Vocals and guitar were all done on the first take. No drums. I didn’t care, I just wanted to try and capture how I was feeling and I think I did just that. It’s a little emo, but I love how it came together. I love how the song plays out, and where it goes right around the 2:12 mark.

Last Thing I Remember

I can hear so much red house painters and sun kil moon in this song. Sometimes it isn’t until the song is written and recorded that I hear what I wrote and see the resemblance to bands that have influenced me. Kind of repetitive, but that is a common theme in the songs I write. I love the organ and cold play-esk build up round the 3 minute mark. I really like the drums too. Just one mic for the the drum track. Man, I am really proud of this one listening to it because it bleeds Mark Kozelek.

Untitled

Middle of the night song, nothing but piano and vocals. I was feeling pretty terrible. Written this year.

River

Short song, no real verse chorus. I can’t figure out why I feel so strongly about this song, but I love what happened with it, and what I was able to communicate.

September 23, 1997

Some really cool stuff happens around 1:20. I mixed acoustic and electronic drums for the first time and I really like how it all sounds. Kind of a a tough song, written about a lost friend. I like the build and mix at the very end. Overall one of my favorites.

Taken For Granted

I don’t write happy songs very often, and when I do I am usually disgusted with them. Usually I only write songs when I am nostalgic or down. This is an exception. I was 2 years into what would end at a 5 year relationship, and was pretty pumped. My favorite part is the bridge part at minute 2.

The City Was Mine

When I started to record this song I envisioned standing up at Mt. Tabor early in the morning in the dark looking at the illuminated city. There are times I just stand up there before my runs at the fence and just watch the city. It doesn’t move from that distance, but I imagine what it is doing and I think. That’s what I wanted this song to feel like. In a way it is one of the more beautiful songs I have written, even though it was written over some pretty tough stuff. I remember spending a lot of time on this song.

There’s Nothing To Show

This song will put you to sleep. Pretty slow, but I really like how it turned out. I was a part of a small indie label for a few years and had this song as a demo. Matt really liked it and asked me to record it again for a compilation sampler the label was putting out. It was kind of fun, Bryan Free played drums and piano on it. Matt did some harmonies right at the 4 minute mark. If you listen to any of the song, listen from the 4 minute song. I love the ending.

This Is A Milestone

Yeah, this song is old… probably close to that 10 year mark. It has a few my old emo tendencies in the lyrics, but I still like to listen to this song. Harvey Tumbleson of the now Builders & Butchers played the banjo on it.

This Is My Death

Wrote this in a pretty low time in my life. Never took any of this serious, but there is some moments in life when writing morbid songs and fantasizing brings some sort of a weird comfort to me. It’s just being able to express I think. An outlet.

Wander

I put this together with a simple vision of it being dirty, and muffled, and gross. Written 3 or 4 years ago, I can’t remember exactly. My roommate at the time did a remix of it:
Wander (Gage Remix)

What I Wouldn’t Give

This song, feels kind of like it has an identity crisis going on with it in the beginning, but I love love love the structure, the lyrics, and mostly the feeling in me that it captured. No verse, chorus, verse thing going on, simply a two part song. One of my favorites for sure. Stick around for the end.

Where Is My Snow

I couldn’t even listen to this one while I wrote out the description. Probably the most nostalgic song I have ever written, maybe even the most nostalgic song ever for me, over anything. I don’t need to listen to it though, I have this ingrained in me. I wrote it when I was going through some real growing, with someone I loved very dearly. I wrote it on the cusp of loosing that person forever. Somewhere in the last minute or so the song morphs into a little moment that ends up being my favorite part of the song.

You Were A Friend

Can’t really pin down why I like this one so much, I just do. It was a pretty simple song, didn’t spend a lot of time on it.

So, there it is. 20 songs. I tried to not seem conceited, but really I think I am my biggest fan, and these songs mean a lot to me. I really don’t care if anyone likes them, but it’s still fun to share what I have been doing for the last 10 years.

Wisdom Of The Enneagram

Zach Brown — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:27:11 +0000

So, late one night this weekend some friends and I did the Enneagram test, which is similar to Myers Briggs personality test. I didn’t know much about it but it was really interesting, and a great idea to do it with a bunch of friends. It gave us an opportunity to laugh at the traits it picks out, after you answer a series of questions. Chase, has known about it for sometime and wanted us to do it and it was quite fun. Here are some things I learned:

I am an average 9 (or peacemaker) with an 8 (or challenger) wing, combined being “the referee.” ha. Don’t pay to much attention to the titles, they are a bit vague for a more defined description. Here’s a breakdown:

“Awakened Nines with an 8 wing have a modest, steady, receptive core. They are charged by the dynamism of 8 – when focused on goals they often have great force of will. Get things done, make good leaders. May have an animal magnetism of which they are only partly aware. Can seem highly centered, take what they do seriously but remain unimpressed with themselves. 8 wing can bring a strong internal sense of direction. Relatively fearless and highly intuitive. Generally not intellectual unless they have it in their background. When more entranced, they manifest the contradictions of the two styles expressing them in sequence. Could be passively amiable like a Nine and then turn horribly blunt like an 8. One moment they are opinionated or nasty, next moment kindly and supportive. Often don’t hear their voices when angry. Can have a sharp, grating edge. May be slow to anger and then explode. Or angry but don’t know it; may confuse being assertive with being rude. Placidly callous – both styles support numbness. Tactless and indiscriminate and indiscreet. May be unwittingly disloyal, sometimes they are driven by lust.”

So, if you ask me that sounds pretty accurate. Sounds pretty accurate to my friends too. Haha.

Some examples of other 9′s with an 8 wing are Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Albert Einstein.

If you are interested, this is the book we used. http://bit.ly/aAaBt8 Really interesting, I highly recommend getting into it.

Kele

Zach Brown — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:53:17 +0000

Sometimes I connect with the simplest of songs.

Kele – Everything You Wanted

“All day, long…”

Zach Brown — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:30:26 +0000

I am discovering more and more the absolute epic effects of a chill song while I am running.

I listened to this–

Band Of Horses – For Annabelle

–during my run a couple mornings ago. I never used to listen to music while I ran, I felt it was a distraction. I slowly have learned to appreciate the effect music has on more importantly me, while I run, rather than my running. At first I figured that only high energy songs were what I needed to be listening to. Oh how I was wrong.

I can only describe it as spiritual. It was raining so hard, so so hard. Imagine sitting parked in your car with the windshield wipers flopping as fast as they will go– and still not being able to see through the windshield. It was pouring. I was drenched head to toe in water and mud. I could hear my long, rhythmic breaths in between the pat pat pat pat of my feet under my body. Four steps. Inhale. Four steps. Exhale. In these moments I feel that I am truly connected to life. Everything means so much. Everything seems to make sense.

Music is my spirituality. I think I have always equated god to spirit, and worship to god was what I thought my spirituality was. Music is when I feel absolutely in touch with everything around me. Everything makes sense in these moments, and in so many ways in calms everything inside of me.

I think we substitute god into our lives to try and explain our different ways we experience that. Whether it is through nature, music, friends, family, or whatever… it’s easy to say that it is god, when I don’t really believe it is anymore.

Radical Face: Ghost

Zach Brown — Sun, 30 May 2010 20:07:50 +0000

Some how, this slipped right by me for the last few years. I’m pretty pumped on this entire album. Each song is distinctly unique in melody yet everything flows so well. Lots of very interesting elements; floor creeks and claps and scraps but everything is so very soothing. Super duper uber catchy, the first listen through I thought for sure it was going into my top albums list, which is still very possible. I have been listening for about a month now and still loving it. Give it a listen if possible, you will be happy you did.

Wrapped In Piano Strings

Facebook

Zach Brown — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:41:22 +0000

With recent security issues raised in the news regarding facebook, I thought it a great time to share my thoughts on the social networking goliath.

I was browsing the other day, through the site, through my friends, and it just struck me at how amazingly complicated this website was. It was like running software on your computer with all the intricate settings and options and notifications etc etc. It is incredible to me how robust of a website it is, and how much they let you control in your profile.

It is ridiculous for people to complain about security on websites. If you don’t like the chance of your information possibly being shared, don’t share it at all. I feel that applies to everything, even online banking. If you don’t like the risk, don’t take it. And if you do take it, don’t complain about it if it doesn’t end up being %100 safe or fool proof. It’s all a part of the game, it’s all a part of the convenience.

Facebook has created an AMAZING tool, which I feel has much more of a benefit to our society than it has been given credit for. They are always upgrading and working to improve the experience, and that includes security. I hate that people like this are “quitting facebook” because “it doesn’t give (them) fair choices” and makes it “damn difficult to manage settings” on your profile. HA. I would looooove to see anyone of them make a better website.

I work construction, so I am away from my computer all day long. Every day when I get home, I spend about 45 minutes scrolling through the days news feeds of my friends. It gives me a great opportunity to check in with friends on a daily basis, friends that it would be hard or next to impossible to check in with over the phone or in person. I can “like” things that they share, comment on their day’s events… or simply just read and observe what is happening in their lives. My facebook friends are people, all important to me and my life in some way or form, some more than others, but none the less important. Some I don’t see very often, but when I do I can pick up right away because I know at least some of what has been happening in their lives. My friends lives are important to me, and that is why I love and appreciate facebook.

There are also side benefits, things that make facebook a great tool… like event planning, or pages, or music promotion.

Like anything, facebook can be abused, and it is always the drama that people focus on. I don’t think enough attention is given to the positives of facebook though, and I truly hope it is around for a long time. I don’t presume it will disappear anytime soon, I think our culture has definitely forever embraced social networking (whether we want to or not).

The National: High Violet

Zach Brown — Sun, 16 May 2010 17:35:59 +0000

High Violet is by far and large The National’s best album to date. I can’t help but connect with it lyrically, and musically it is brilliant. This and Beach House Teen Dream are my two top albums for 2010, and I have a hard time seeing anything even coming close to topping those this year.

Full of rich, heavy sounds and notes, lush lyrics and haunting melodies, the rest of their catalog feels cheesy compared to this. I realize that is probably going to offend, but I don’t want to go back to Boxer or Alligator after this. I was a National fan with their previous records, but a casual fan. High Violet is going to be in my top albums of all time. Every single song is amazing.

I would love to be able to recommend a couple tracks to listen to but they are all to good to pick a favorite. I thought that I had one or two but after listening to it some more I couldn’t dream of picking. Just start at the beginning…

The Antlers

Zach Brown — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:11:53 +0000

I can’t stop listening to this. It feels so relevant.

The Antlers – Bear

There’s a bear inside your stomach
The cub’s been kicking you for weeks
And if this isn’t all a dream
Well then we’ll cut him from beneath
Well we’re not scared of making caves
Or finding food for him to eat
We’re terrified of one another
And terrified of what that means
But we’ll make only quick decisions
And you’ll just keep my in the waiting room
And all the while I’ll know we’re fucked
And not getting unfucked soon
When we get home we’re bigger strangers than we’ve ever been before
You sit in front of snowy television, suitcase on the floor

October 2nd, 1982

Zach Brown — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:22:45 +0000

Done a lot of time off thinking lately. Debated posting this. Sometimes I write morbid, but rarely share. Please, it’s symbolic. And fantasy. And a means of expression. Don’t expect to get it.

Written April 18th, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.

This is my death preparation.
This is my death, it’s time to prepare.
I’m going to take some time, I’m going to spend all my money.
This is my death. It’s time to prepare.

Gonna give all my stuff to my little brother.
I’ve got to make sure that he is taken care of.
All of my cash will go to my roommates.
This is my death, and another room that they can share.

This is my death preparation.
This is my death, it’s time to prepare.
I’m going to take some time, I’m going to spend all my money.
This is my death. It’s time to prepare.

I know it’s going to hurt, it will hurt my parents.
After all the things they’ve said and done.
But now they’ve gone away, and left me for God’s work.
This is my death. I hope they can bare.

This is my death preparation.
This is my death, it’s time to prepare.
I’m going to take some time, I’m going to spend all my money.
This is my death. It’s time to prepare.

Gotta write a note to my ex-girlfriend.
It’s going to tell her where she can go to find my body.
She was going to be my wife, instead she’s a slut now.
This is my death. She probably wont care.

This is my death preparation.
This is my death, it’s time to prepare.
I’m going to take some time, I’m going to spend all my money.
This is my death. It’s time to prepare.

The Low Anthem

Zach Brown — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 03:59:53 +0000

I stole this from my friend Nicoles blog… amazing.

Football

Zach Brown — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:05:26 +0000

I didn’t grow up with soccer. I grew up with basketball, and when I say I grew up with basketball, I mean I GREW UP with basketball. Most of the remote little village towns in Alaska revolve around the sport, and pretty much as soon as I had the strength to stand on my own, I was playing basketball with the rest of the kids, all through elementary, middle school, and high school.

I wasn’t even remotely interested in soccer until recently. A couple of years ago @chase_reeves started his sales pitch on me to try to get me hyped on it, and like anything Chase tries to sell me on I am skeptical, haha. Not sure why, I think I just enjoy the battle and watching his techniques in action. But, for footy (soccer), I think my basketball roots made me feel like soccer was just a bunch of lawn ferries, weak and fruity.

Needless to say, it has been a long slow battle for Chase, but he has absolutely won me over and I am fired up. Big time into the sport, big time into the game. Started with a fervent commitment to Portsmouth Football Club, but after a hard couple of seasons it looks like they will be knocked out of the premier soccer league in England.

So, my second loyalty lies with Everton FC because most of my friends support them, and I have taken to their players through their enthusiasm. Especially this guy, Fellaini.

I am also slowly but surly learning about other football clubs besides the English Premier teams, mostly because the World Cup is coming up soon, and that just seems amazing now that I am actually into the sport.

So yeah, that’s a recent little kick of mine that has been slowly snowballing over the past couple of years, and it’s something I am really really starting to enjoy.

Quiet Little Voices

Zach Brown — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:46:52 +0000

I recorded a cover of “Quiet Little Voices” by We Were Promised Jetpacks. Theirs is way better, but I had fun with it. You can listen below.

Quiet Little Voices (We Were Promised Jetpacks Cover)

Seabear

Zach Brown — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:08:45 +0000

If I was to take a road trip across the US, I would put on my “Current Top Albums” play list. I would time it so that when I hit the plains of Nebraska, Seabear‘s new album “We Built A Fire” would come on. I envision driving through miles and miles of rolling plains and listening to this. It is so good, so catchy, so soft.

Seabear – Lion Face Boy

Hard Drive

Zach Brown — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:19:43 +0000

Evan Dando – Hard Drive

This is the town I’m living in
This is the street I’m walking down
These are the friends I’m visiting
These are the clothes I’m wearing now
This is the house I’m building here
This is the girl I’m marrying
This is the chord I’m strumming now
This is the faith I’m leaning on

This is the child I’m bearing now
This is the love that I’ve always had
This is the face I make when I’m sad
This is the town I’m living in
This is the hard drive…
This is the ocean
Have you ever felt yourself in motion

These are the feet I’m standing on
These are the hands that build a world
This is the bed I’m sleeping in
This is the shirt I’m buttoning
This is the pace I’m moving at
This is the tune I’m humming now
This is the road I’m walkin down
These are the lips that form my words

This is the stone that I wanna turn
These are the people that I love
These are the eyes that look above
This is the town I’m living in
This is the hard drive…
This is the ocean
Have you ever felt yourself in motion

Performed by Evan Dando. Written by one of my favorites, Ben Lee.

2 Amazing New iPhone Apps

Zach Brown — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:09:38 +0000

I haven’t downloaded any new apps in a while. I feel like I had everything I needed… until I recently discovered these. Completely unrelated to each other, but very cool.

#1. Photoshop Mobile

I have been using camera bag, but you have to stick with the 5 or 6 filters they have and if you simply want to brighten an image you are out of luck. Unless of course you apply an entire filter to it that may brighten it, but then you are stuck with the rest of the effects that come on the filter. So in my search this morning for simple app’s that edit iPhone photos I found Photoshop’s free app. It is ridiculously simple, ridiculously clean, ridiculously well designed.

I remember hearing about Photoshop’s launch of their online photo accounts and stuff, so this app is tied to all of that. I am not sure if I will use it, probably not, but you can upload and share photos with a free account if you wanted to. But yeah besides that this is a sweet stand alone app.

#2. Meebo

So, from what I understand (I should probably fact check more often) meebo has been a chat client for some time now, cept not like a normal download and install client. They had some sort of web based thing going on. I don’t know why but I was never interested in that. I always close my browsing windows, out of habbit, so I guess I was afraid I would always be closing out my chat… or something. Whatever, it doesn’t matter… what matters is they just released a chat app for the iPhone that is AMAZING. I have been using a crappy app called IM + and it never worked right, and was clunky, and ugly, and not free. Meebo is the oppisite of that, PLUS you can run it in the background, so you can be signed in and online and be using other apps and it will notify you if someone sends you a message. It is pretty brillant, and fun, supports a bunch of different networks, and is free… so yeah I am pretty stoked on it for sure.

I Remember This Place

Zach Brown — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:09:19 +0000

When I would come home from college on breaks, I would get pretty nostalgic. I missed home, a lot. Sometimes nostalgia absolutely kills me. Sometimes it hurts so bad that I wish I didn’t have the memories that I missed. Very occasionally it feels good, and in those moments, I love to reflect. That means getting away from everyone, and letting those feelings flood into me and appreciate how important that particular moment and feeling actually is. So late at night, on my college breaks, I would bundle up and walk down to the mile long runway that the military had built as a part of the air force base in Galena.

It was always cold and absolutely quiet minus the crunching of the snow under my feet while I trecked the 2.5 miles to the airport. Galena is so small there is no air traffic at night, so I would waltz right out into the middle of the runway, lay down and just look up at the northern lights. I could have laid there for hours if it wasn’t so cold, reflecting on the memories and experiences in this little remote Alaskan village.

The other night I went to a Sunday night college group that is held in the Portland Foursquare Church. Having not been to church in a very long time, it was more about saying hi to some old friends. During the service I walked around the building in the empty halls, the dark gym, the kitchen, everywhere. I just went wandering, like I used to when I was going to this service five years previous. I had just moved in to Portland in 2004 and got really involved in this church. So when I was there again, I was just so happy to be able to revisit those feelings, and in a place that wasn’t a church, it was just a big beautiful structure full of memories. I found the piano in the empty room that I used to go play when I needed to get away from everyone at the service, and it was there still just waiting for me.

I remember this place. I remember wandering the halls. I remember the piano in the room behind the kitchen. I remember everything.

Sensory Overload

Zach Brown — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:15:15 +0000

So it’s Sunday morning, and I have been here at the Albina Press in a full on awesome conversation with Dirk about flavors and palettes and senses. Arghhh! I have so much I want to do and experience. I have been love love loving getting into espresso (thanks Reeverbs) and of course cigars… and now I am looking at tea. Dirk is a regular down here, super interesting fella, lived a lot of life, and really into tea. And math. But that’s for another time.

There is something really enjoyable about trying to taste very specific flavors in the food or drink you consume. It really makes whatever it is you are tasting much more of an experience and much more enjoyable rather than just consuming it to feed your hunger or thirst. I think is also makes you enjoy something that you may not have before, even if it is just the experience of finding flavors that you don’t like.

We also talked about how opening one sense like flavor helps to open other senses, or at least makes you aware of them. I like that. I like experiencing life, at least for the moment. ha.

Happy Valentines Day.

Explore. Right?

Zach Brown — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:13:54 +0000

I shouldn’t be making definitive decisions in my life. Why do I always do that? I feel like I need to know exactly who I am, and where I am going… permanently. So if I start to feel something, I just overwhelming decide that is what I need to believe. It’s so hard for me to say, “I don’t know.” I am still very young, but I also feel like by 27 I should know who I am. It has been encouraging talking to some of my friends who pretty overwhelming agree that your 20′s is about finding that out, and you can’t force it. And somewhere, in their early 30′s it went off like a switch and all of the sudden some of the big important things made sense.

So new goals: Don’t force myself. Be okay with not knowing. Be okay with being in limbo.

yikes.

Mumford & Sons

Zach Brown — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:08:08 +0000

Beach House and Mumford & Sons is to 2010 as Fanfarlo and Frightened Rabbit were to 2009.

The banjo is amazing. Vox incredible. A little moody at times, but I love love love moody. But not enough to get you down. Perfect.

Anyways, INCREDIBLY CATCHY first full length album “Sigh No More” and it is going to be one of 2010′s top albums for me. Check them out.

Take A Minute

Zach Brown — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:25:30 +0000

“And any man that knows a thing knows, he knows not a damn damn thing at all.” – K’naan

I Need To Run

Zach Brown — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:32:47 +0000

I’ll be honest, life is being difficult at the moment. I’ve had some shit thrown in my direction lately, and for the few moments in my life when I have felt down, this is one. It’s been hard to get out of bed in the morning. I never have a hard time getting out of bed. The cup is always half full though, I have no problem seeing the positives and I trudge through the mud pretty steadily.

My one saving grace right now is running. I swear, I need to give my body a break but I can’t quit. I am addicted. It is absolutely incredible the feeling that comes with that, and the calm it creates in my head. I have always noticed it, but right now it is amplified! Without a girlfriend keeping me solid or encouraged, running is my new mate. My soul mate.

I’ve been waking up with a foggy head, foggy feelings, foggy goals and motivations, and as soon as I get into my run things start clearing up. It is a perfect decompression time, to calm myself before the day even gets going.

Not only that but it caries through my day. Cheers me up. I know there is science behind all of this, with endorphins and such, but I don’t know much about that. And I don’t need to. All I know is that when I’m bummin, I am runnin. (ha, so cheesy but I could care less).

I already can’t wait to go running again. I wish my body was like Forest Gump’s or I- Man and I could just keep running. Ha, that would be awesome.

My Lendendary Friends

Zach Brown — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:20:38 +0000

This has been the best new years ever for me. The four days following new years eve were nothing but a bunch of great people, hanging out, drinking, eating, crashing on floors and couches, waking up, coffee, music, shows, drinking, eating, movies, crashing out, laying around, getting up going out, eating drinking etc etc. The other day I looked at a couple of my friends and said, “do you realize we have spent the last five days in a row hanging out?” There aren’t many people I can do that with. I want to tell you about the ones I can. These are my best friends.

First and foremost, the ever-so-infamous Chase Reeves. Most people know Chase for his loud disregard for peoples personal space, but instead of being irritating he converts it into PARTY. If I had a nickle for every time he shared some private embarrassing thing he or his wife did I would be a rich man. Mellisa (wife) is an amazing compliment to this guy, and they are both so incredibly secure in who they are it’s only infectious and fun. Chase is my best friend in the whole world, and I feel like in the few years we have known each other we have walked through a lot of the same growing experiences. Then he had a baby, and well, that has been really special to watch. I wish I had a little tyke of my own to play with little baby Aiden, but until then I am content with the uncle status.

Chase and I met on a boat, on the Columbia river, water skiing at a church event. In the hour we spent talking, we learned that we geek out about the same things, and that we actually live next door to each other. The next day I came over and helped him put one of those goddamn IKEA beds together and our friendship was born out of a shared frustration for cheep Swedish furniture.

Next up– Mr. Todd. M. Hammer. Todd is by far the classiest guy that I know. I feel like everything he does he makes look good. Usually sipping a dirty martini on weeknights, and manhattans on the weekends, Todd is always out. With a knack for disarming strangers with simple things like pretending to check ID’s while out front smoking, you can’t help but have fun with him. Plus he knows everyone in this city, which is always handy…

Todd and I met through Chase, a couple years ago and I liked him right away. Getting to know Todd has been great, and even when out having a good time Todd knows how to be real, and honest and sincere. We are both kind of in a similar stage of life right now, so it has been a great combination hanging out, meeting new people, and being on the town.

Roommate extraordinaire, Gage is the coolest geek I know. Always organizing game nights, costume parties, filming quirky independent movies, or drawing flash cartoons– life is always interesting in our house. Also an amazing programmer/web developer I find having him across the hall to bail me out when I get myself into trouble is reeeeally nice. On top of that, he definitely gets the best “man cook” award for his amazing, uber healthy organic meals. I wish I could cook or bake half as good as this duder, but I really don’t need to because he always makes enough for me. Lately it has been awesome because our schedule’s line up just about right for dinner, and I love sitting down every night eating and talking about our day, almost like a fucking family or something. I love it.

Along with Gage comes a troop of other amazing friends, and they all deserve honorable mentions. Some of my best nights out on the town have been with Gage, Ted, Will, and HB.

Gage and I met in Anchorage, Alaska at dinner with some mutual friends right before we were both moving down to Portland. We never connected after our moves, but a few months later I randomly ran into him as we were both jogging up in forest park. This was about five and a half years ago now I guess. We hung out a few times after that, and then a room opened up in my house right as Gage was coming back from living in France. We’ve been roomies ever since, over 4 years now.

Note: Chase, Todd, Gage and I are all musicians too which only adds to the things we geek out about. Chase can play anything he puts his hands on, and really really well. Todd is an amazing guitarist and him, Chase and I regularly jam without any purpose or direction, other than for fun. Gage is a singer/songwriter and guitarist/drummer, as well as a member of the popular local band Bombs Into You. Although Gage and I do our own things musically, jam sessions always weasel their way in at some point since we live together.

Ben Thomas. The most honorable guy on the planet. Ben will always protect and defend his friends, and he has so many of them it definitely feels like a privilege to be considered one. When you add that to a really fun, outgoing guy Ben is always someone I want to hang out with.

If I had to pin one thing down to describe Ben though, it would be his obsession with football (soccer) but more importantly his home, English Premier League team Everton. It is infectious, and Chase and I are solid Everton supporters now because of it. He’s a crazy man whenever they score a goal.

Ben is a man’s man. A fishing boat captain in Alaska in the summer time, an avid hunter, and a beer drinker Ben never ceases to blow me away. He will always defend the honor of women or throw a punch with you in a fight I’m sure. It’s been awesome getting to know him.

Dane is someone I met just a few months ago, through all these other guys above, but man I like him. Usually going against the flow, Dane isn’t afraid to be himself, and he knows exactly who he is. There is something infectious about people that are confident in who they are, and like the guys above Dane is just that.

One thing I am learning about hanging out with Dane is he will always rally. If he says that he is coming to hang out, he will hang out until the very end. Never bails early or makes up an excuse. Which is great because he is super fun to be around.

Final Note: I am fortunate to know most of these fellas through Chase, and a lot of them have been friends long before I was even in Oregon. I am new to their circle, but man I feel so lucky to call them all friends. I hope years down the road we are all still close, I really do.

Beach House: Teen Dream

Zach Brown — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:38:39 +0000

Ok, so I have had an early opportunity to hear the new Beach House album titled “Teen Dream” and the moment I put it on I have been listening to it non-stop. It is absolutely brilliant. It is so rare that I ever even listen to a new album two times in a row let alone forty. I seriously might have listened to this forty times in a row now.

Super dreamy, incredibly catchy, lyrically succulent, deep rich tones, and beautifully mixed and mastered this is definitely going to be one of my top albums for all of 2010. I know how crazy it sounds to say that, considering this will be released very early 2010 which leaves the whole entire year for other album releases to compete, but I mean it. It’s that good. Every single song.

I recommend listening to it at a higher volume, just enough to let the sound waves vibrate softly in your ear drums, but not loud enough to make sharp cuts. Do it in your car or wherever you have the nicest speakers. Please please please. This is so good.

Life Is About Stages

Zach Brown — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:58:20 +0000

I have decided that I want my life to revolve around two things. The first and most important would be friendships. I want everything I do to involve making my friends my priority. Just recently stepping out of a 5 year dating relationship has shown me how important my friends really are, and how I have ALWAYS taken that for granted. I watched them rally around me, build me up, encourage and listen to me and it was amazing. I have always been kind of selfish with my friends, dropping on them or bailing whenever something else comes up (girls mostly) figuring that if they are really my friends they will understand. What a jerk I have been.

I was able to put my new found appreciation for friendships right into practice when another really close friend went through a tough break up and I was able to watch his/our friends rally, and then be a part of supporting him. This kind of stuff lasts forever, you know? Its funny really. A lot of my friends I have known for a long time, longer than 5 years. When you are with a girl for 5 years, and that person knows you better than anyone else, you feel so permanent. But in the blink of an eye, it is over and what is left? Your friendships. You had them before, you will have them after. Sure sometimes you drift apart, but its not like breaking up with a girl. For me, when a relationship with a girl is over… it is over. Them, and everything they brought with them is gone forever. Friends aren’t like that.

Some of you might also know about my effort and constant struggle to love everyone that I come in contact with. That plays a large roll in this too. I used to be such a negative, impatient, not understanding, picky, intolerant person… and still can be at times. But I don’t want to be. I want to look at every single person I know and see only the positives in them. That plays a large part in my friendships.

The second thing I want my life to revolve around is music. I am a music guy. I can have conversations with people about religion or politics, and even if we differ 100% on our views, I can leave the conversation being okay with those differences and not get mad or upset or frustrated at all. I just look at it like, “that’s what you believe, and that’s okay. I just don’t believe the same.” But when I have a conversation with someone about music and they disagree with me or me with them, I get really really upset. I am trying not to, but I think it is because music is so deeply rooted in who I am.

One of the most meaningful moments in my life was with my Dad. I was in high school, and into music and guitars and working at the radio station and I felt like he didn’t get any of that. One afternoon I played a Janis Joplin song on the radio and he heard it, and that night asked me if he had ever showed me his mint condition, still in the wrapper, Janis Joplin album he bought when he was in the army. Something about that moment made me feel like I could relate to my Dad in a way I never thought I would be able to. Not that Janis Joplin is one of my favorite artists, she was long before my time and my Dad understood her better than I ever will– but it was through music that I connected with him, and realized that he does “get it” and got it before I was ever even a thought. He told me stories of him and his army buddies listening to Joplin and singing and drinking and remembering when she died. The next day I made him a CD at the station of her greatest hits and gave it to him. It was pretty special to me.

I am writing songs more again, which has been really fun. I have been playing the guitar for over 10 years now, and the past few years I have written hardly any songs. I used to write a couple songs a week, and I am back to that. I am also playing more drums, and it is fun to look back on the past decade and see how I have progressed, not only in my songwriting but it my life. Listening to an old song brings me right back to where I was in that moment of my life. I like to say I write feelings, not songs. Sometimes I will leave the microphone on the other side of the room and play as loud as I can, and leave the buzzing noises or doors closing in the recording, and sing whatever comes out. Sometimes it will be 3:00 in the morning and I will be as close to the mic as possible and playing as softly as I can and almost whispering when I sing. I always try to capture what I am feeling. I’m not trying to write hit songs. It is kind of like my journal or diary, if you will.

Then there is driving in your car, after a long day at work, listening to something that just hits you right. You know what I mean, the kind of song that makes everything you are seeing feel like a movie. When you turn it up just loud enough to feel the deep rich tones of the song massage your ears, but not loud enough to hurt them. Music can turn me into a sap, ready to ball my eyes out, or turn a bad day into an amazing one. I am a terribly nostalgic person, and in turn listen to a lot of nostalgic music. Listen to the Afghan Whigs “Crazy” and you will know what I mean.

Everything else in my life comes in third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. But I am okay with that. Life is about stages. Someday my wife and children will be what my life revolves around. A few years ago God might have been what I wanted my life to revolve around. My family is spread all over the world, brother is in Alaska and my parents are in Africa so it is hard for my life to revolve around them. Girls are taking a spot in third right now, but life is about stages… life is about stages.

Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3

Zach Brown — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:34:12 +0000

So so so so so so good. Right? Have you listened? So good. I have never been into a Jay-Z album like this. It BEGS me everyday to listen to it top volume. And then I do. I’ll be honest it makes me want to dance. And then I do. No. Well, yeah.

I like how classy Jay-Z is. I like his lyrics. I like how he sticks to what he does best, and doesn’t venture off into stuff he isn’t good at.

This is such a catchy, lyrically cool, amazing album. I get it, I’m into it.

I Love Audio Posting

Zach Brown — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:12:12 +0000

Yeah sure I get it, video is cool. I would love to upgrade my 3G iPhone to the 3GS if it didn’t cost me like $500 because I’m not up for a contract renewal. But, when I do upgrade in February, I think I am going to continue to post a lot of audio. There is something intriguing about listening to a post of audio that someone has posted. I can visualize faces, and imagine the scene probably better than it is in reality. Plus, there are times when I just want to share something for people to hear, but I don’t necessarily want them to see. (no, don’t go there its not dirty). I am totally into re-living old moments and memories when I listen to the audio posts that I have made. Most of the time it performs better than a picture.

Here are my audio twitter posts.

Parenthetical Girls

Zach Brown — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:17:58 +0000

Last night I went out to see the local band Mattress with my roommate and his band-mate Jared. While there I had the pleasure meeting Rachael from Parenthetical Girls. Having not heard of this band before (and they weren’t playing at this particular show), but being wonderfully smitten after an hour or so of conversation, I decided I would check them out this morning.

Unbelievable. I love it. So so good.

I have been listening all morning, and my roommate is going to go pick up some of their albums this morning at the local record shop for us. Its probably something you should do too…really.

I love this video, but their most recent album “Entanglements” is FULL of amazing songs none better than another…

Parenthetical Girls – “A Song For Ellie Greenwich”

I’m Gone

Zach Brown — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:04:07 +0000

I’ve been gone, intentionally. I’ll be back shortly though, promise.

Burried Treasure

Zach Brown — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:20:55 +0000

I have been doing construction work here in Oregon for about 5 years now, which isn’t very long in the grand scheme of things. I have worked with a lot of really experienced people, many of which it wasn’t uncommon to have 30+ years of experience. Doing construction for 30+ years is a lot of time to knock down walls, dig holes in the ground, or pull up floor boards. Whenever any of those activities are taking place during a work day there is always a conversation about finding some forgoten stash of money in the walls, or under the floor. It always seemed like such a real possiblity, but I have never known anyone to ever find treasure.

Until last week!

The picture on the left was taken on my cell phone as the home owner and I were discovering a plethora of silver & half dollars. The house is located in North Portland, and the construction company I work for is doing an addition onto the back of the original house which was built in 1906. I had gone underneath the house to dig for a few peer pads that needed to be poured to support new beams underneath the floor system. Anyways, I had just started to dig the second or third hole and I noticed a single coin in the dirt. As I reached down to pick it up I noticed two more coins, and gave a shout for the home owner to come down and take a look. As we started digging handfuls and handfuls of coins began appearing and that’s when I snapped this picture.

I went back to work but he dug around in the dirt for a while and eventually came up with 249 coins, dating from the later 1800′s to 1936. We seem to think it was some old depression money, buried by someone who still didn’t have much faith in the banking system. Anyways it was pretty exciting, now I can say I’ve discovered buried treasure.

World Peace?

Zach Brown — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:50:53 +0000

I think today is the first day I have genuinely wished for world peace.

Sure, if some magical wand was handed to me and I had been given the opportunity to give the world peace, I would have… previous to today I mean. But since a lot of the violence that I have witnessed in my lifetime really hasn’t had any direct effect on the way my life has to be lived, it has never really been something my heart desperately longed for.

Occasionally I will read about something that will lodge a knot in my stomach, or move me to tears because of the sadness of it, but at the end of the day I am sad about that one particular incident and don’t care that the overall theme is that the world can’t get along.

Today 130 people were killed in Bagdad in a double bombing, and no one has claimed responsibility yet. For some reason this really strikes me to the core. 130 people died and no one knows why, YET, other than the world can’t get along.

I am not ignorant enough to believe that it is as simple as “hey let’s just get a long” but I really wish it was.

Anyways, just what I am thinking about today.