Roadie Friday

Today is our first roadie friday of the tour! Travis has been sworn in as the Sheriff of Deep Cuts. May god help us all.

The first day jitters...

The first day jitters come with any tour we start and usually subside by the time we establish a routine.

I spent most of my afternoon pondering the reception of our first night's performance. The worried weight favored more on the technical side of things. The Coheed Curse! (We have a history of first day technical shenanigans.) It's hard to understand the feeling of loneliness that comes with an amp error or guitar string pops. How do I remain entertaining in these moments? These problems occur fairly often with a first night, but I'm happy to say our new crew came through for us and made our transition from Vay-cay to stage play seamless. Hats off to those guys! Now it's time to dust off the old crazy legs and get them back into dancing form. Mama, break out the oil--the Tin-man needs a drink.

On the other side of things, it's a helluva show to be a part of. I know for some of you it's a bit hard to swallow, but where the hell else would we go? Coheed has always had a hard time finding a place to fit in. I've come to accept, a long time ago, that all music is art and should be embraced in all forms and facets 'cause walls are simply no fun to look at. Limiting is for order, not for perception. Which is why I want to play with everybody and why we're here.

With that said, I watched Slipknot's set yesterday and was completely blown away. The young rocker in me, who wished to see KISS in their heyday had gotten his wish. They killed, no, they butchered that mother with a spiked nail covered sledge hammer, and boy, was there blood. I'm sold. I'm into it. So come tomorrow, your fearlful leader might be toothless, wearing a broken face or dead because tonight...I enter Thunderdome.

Run For Your Life

I flew out today to start rehearsals for our upcoming tour with Slipknot. I've been very fortunate this past year with time off. Being able to work from home, and in turn, spend time with my loved ones is getting the best of both worlds. Now, it's back to the grind and I'm looking forward to seeing you all, my other family, on this stretch. Let's do this!

While in flight, I found a song from my past that, looking back now, seems to have had a direct influence on my writing. Heh, I'm not the only jealous lunatic when it comes to love.

"Run For Your Life" from The Beatles' Rubber Soul

Bob Dylan & The Band

I like the quiet that comes after a needle is removed from the vinyl. It feels nice. I don't get that satisfaction with modern music. Like the sound made such an impression on you when it was on, that now life is missing something because it's off. I'm going to miss it when I hit the road. The albums above have been my daily digest.

There's No Mystique For The Iron Sheik

Okay, the question probably on your mind right now is, "Claudio, why are you showing us a picture of you topless, dancing with a torso that resembles something of a cross between E.T. and the three boobed lady from Total Recall? Aren't you embarrassed? Is that Corky from Life Goes On dancing with you?" Sure, some things should be left secret, but in this world, in these times we live in, nothing is sacred. There's No Mystique For The Iron Sheik, baby.

This is what happens when I go for it. When I drink and get drunk. Look at that stance! That's something to be proud of. It's strong, it screams, “I'm crushing this air guitar and if you get too close, motherfucker, I might hit you with it.” The dancing queen to the right taunts me with his lighter as he jiggles and jives. He knows that all I need is a light and I will instantly be transformed into Slash from GNR and he will lose in this battle of steps. "Please!" my left hand gestures as it shreds through an invisible sweep arpeggio, "Don't be an asshole."

New Album Alert!

NEW ALBUM ALERT!

That's right, Motherbitches! It's a sitar! This new record is getting WORLDLY--tribal and shit. Move over Ravi Shankar. Here comes Ravi Sanchez. :)

Anyway, we're having a great time constructing the tunes. There are just around ten ideas that we're fleshing out and more to come as we try to keep the writing process steady. We're hoping to enter the studio sometime this year, but we still have some work ahead of us. We'll keep you posted when we have more info. You keep it easy. PEACE!

You got balls, Kid.

When I was growing up there were two things I feared immensely, Santa Claus and Clowns. I'm not too sure why I trembled at the sight of Jolly Ole Saint Nick, but every Christmas I'm reminded of the time I sent my brother to ask the mountain-sized garden gnome for an Indiana Jones playset because I was too scared to do so myself. I'll never live that one down.

Clowns are another story, but one much too large to tell for this entry. Now easy, guys! It's only our second date so I'll give you the pieces. The story involves a fireman and a policeman; both were shoe holders, both were clowns, their shadows, a wrench and a child's wild, violent imagination. Go on, you're creative enough. You have the cast and crew, now create your own story cause no one ever believes mine.

This transitions us to the scenario displayed at the top of the entry. I stare at this picture, the child gesturing towards the monstrosity before him, a being teetering somewhere between Tim Curry's Pennywise from Stephen King's IT and Tina Turner, and think, at 30, "Whoa, that lollipop does look tasty. Hey, Satan's Funny Man! I'll trade you this bottle cap for it." Here we sit in agreement, the young man and I. But had I been his age, in this very same predicament, you would've found me blocks away, in terror, ice-creaming my pants with chocolate goodness all the way home. You got balls, Kid.

The Darkness To Disney

What does one talk about when getting involved with the world's number one shit talking machine?

This is the question I've been asking myself when thinking about starting a blog at the turn of this New Year. What DO I talk about? Gossip and celebrities! Nah, too easy. Besides, I could care less about what anyone does with his or her time. Plus, it's never been my ambition to be a journalist for STAR or National Enquirer so why waste the time. I'm not one for fashion either. My closet is overflowing with more of the same black jeans and t-shirts from Wal-mart than anyone alive. "You brought the darkness to Disney.” That’s what I told my fiancé when passing the Magic Kingdom a week ago. She, along with her mother & my uncle, thought it would be great for me to experience the happiest place on earth at the busiest time of the year. I'd never been to Disney and this to some might appear as a neglected childhood, but I just never had the desire. Tell me I'd miss the opportunity to meet Kermit the Frog when I was 4 and you might find me driving to my folks for a good ole' fashioned ASS KICKING! That's right mom & dad, keep that one to yourself. Though I did enjoy most of my time at Disney & Hollywood Studios (See Picture Above), I couldn't help but think about the looming inevitability of the Neverender audio and its approval that was awaiting my return home.

My work is never done, and though it might seem like I'm complaining, I'm not. It's a reward to get to do what you love. I just wish I could make the people that enjoy it as much as I do a part of it. Which is why I'm creating this blog. Now let's hope I keep up with it.