12/21/04
DIARY ENTRY, December 2004

I have decided that, in order to keep things current and regular, I'll post a diary entry each month, with whatever goings-on happen to be noteworthy, or at least fun to write about. This will hopefully both slake your thirst for knowledge about what's happening in the world of Jason Brody, and my need to ramble on about this and that in a crude attempt at being in touch with everyone. If I sound cynical it's because, well, I am. There's no way to really be in touch with everyone, and that goes both ways. Sad, but true. But we do what we can.

First of all, I feel really lucky to have all these recent reviews of TO THE QUICK coming in. In my musical wheelings and dealings (meaning sitting in front of the computer for lengthy stretches of time), I've found a vast array of online zines out there dedicated to talking about music of all different genres, both indie and major-label. It is safe to say that I have discovered a new world out there when it comes to all these zines. I have to applaud the writers who work on them (not just for writing about yours truly) for in many cases they are not only just as knowledgable and eloquent as your-favorite-music-writer's-name-here, but they probably do what they do out of great passion for their subjects, often writing in addition to various day jobs, etc. There is something to be said, I think, for taking on a writing assignment because first and foremost you have something you are compelled to share with people rather than because someone's pushing the latest record by whoever into your hand and telling you that a piece needs to be done on it. I guess there are two ways of looking at the whole thing: that many of these zines are created by armchair critics and are exercises in self-indulgence, whereas more established sources of criticism are more "reputable"; or that many of these critics are on a somewhat level playing field, and fortune (and sometimes experience) dictates who they write for and therefore how "legit" they are. I don't know about anyone else, but I have seen some truly absurd reviews in Rolling Stone and the like, and one can always be suspicious wherever large sums of money are changing hands, so I'm taking the first stance.

That said, all reviewers get stuff wrong. Such is life. But a couple common misconceptions I've noticed:

I don't live in Queens. I haven't lived in Queens since I was five or six years old. I was born there. Then I lived in New Jersey through high school. Then I came to NYC for college and have been here ever since. I sometimes wish I did live in Queens now because I think my rent would be cheaper, but I've been in the same East Village apartment for about six years.

"Angel on Earth" is not exactly a love song. "Descent" is definitely not a love song. Since I don't really like to tell people what songs are about (I'd rather not tell people how to form their interpretations, and a lot of the time there are a couple different things going on), I'll leave it at that. Of course, now that I think about it, this begs the question Why am I talking about these songs at all? Or better yet, maybe the problem is me--that my lyrics do not evoke the desired responses, in some cases. Better to not put too fine a point on it, I guess--people are coming up with their own ideas, which is what I want after all, no? But sure, some of my songs are straightforward love stories of a sort. Like "So in Love." It doesn't get more straightforward than that. Anyway, whay am I compelled to say all of this? Talk about self-indulgent. Jesus.

Blah blah. On to more relevant stuff. To the brave few who made the trek out to Hoboken with me on that blustery night about a week ago, my warmest wishes. That was a great time. And cheers to the Goldhawk for having us, and for a nice-sounding room.

Strangely, a few people on the mailing list have asked me if the band (as in, me, Bob van Pelt, and Jeff Olson) is no more--which leads me to think that there must be something in the tone of my emails that's a little off. The three-piece is fine and intact. We are taking a break from the full-band shows because we've been preparing to record a new EP for release in early 2005, and we've been working on some new material, too. Plus, holiday time is a bit hectic for everyone. More news on the EP in a separate entry--plans are still being firmed up.

I will be inching further away from New York City in the new year, and I hope that you'll all follow me, both in spirit, and by getting your friends in our neighboring cities to come out to the shows. I'll be heading to that great City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, in January and in February for some solo gigs, and a Boston date or two will hopefully be added to the calendar as well. I will email as I always do, of course, but I'm really excited to start playing more outside of NYC and wanted to share that with you all. Please help spread the word.

I'm also working to make a few changes and additions to this site--like moving these long-ass diary entries to their own separate pages and just keeping the basic Jason Brody skinny here on the home page. TO THE QUICK has also been added to several radio stations in the region, and we need to get all that info up on here as well. This should all happen after the new year. Jason Brody buttons and stickers are in the works as well.

What else? Well, after some coaxing from various friends of mine, I've begun playing around on myspace--I've had an account for a while now, but have virtually ignored it. Anyway, wanna be my friend? Go here: http://www.myspace.com/jasonbrody
Feel free to add me. Especially if you are Mo Collins from Mad TV, whom I have latently developed a huge crush on. I hear she's hitched, though, so I'm out of luck there, surprise surprise. I've had the new Ted Leo/Pharmacists album, Shake the Sheets, in fairly constant rotation since I picked it up a month or so ago, and I highly recommend it. Ted Leo and the Shins, in my opinion, are just about the best things going out there right now. I'm certainly due to go shopping for some new music soon. If anyone has opinions they'd like to share, I'm perpetually curious. Just don't ever try to sell me the White Stripes. I've already tried to like them. They are like musical snake oil, and many of us, apparently, are cockeyed rubes. If you are one such rube, I would rather not know it.

That's about it for now. Thanks to all of you who have come out to shows, bought records, and shared my music with your friends this past year. It has been a truly amazing time sharing what I do with you all and putting out this first record, and I think I can speak for my bandmates here as well. I hope for more of the same in the year to come, and more and more. Until then, enjoy the holidays, and don't get so plastered on New Year's Eve that you wind up doing something you regret. Not that I would know anything about that. No, not me, not at all.

xo,
Jason