Musings of a Non-Cigarette Smoking Man

So you say it's your birthday? well it's my birthday, too...umm yeah, Ok actually it was yesterday but I had most of the notes in my head for this blog so technically I wrote it on my birthday :)

Like most musicians and people that work with an artistic side, I tend to live in my emotions and sometimes wear them on my sleeve or at least a little close to the surface. Its a job hazard, you could say. I wouldn't trade it for the world though. Even though I have had some severe heartache in life because of those emotions - I think the trade-off is that your highs are higher. It's kind of an "Even Steven" thing.

Anyway, I digress.

Birthdays tend to make me reflective. Usually its a good thing and this year was no exception. In fact, I have come to realize that I just might be living the best years of my life these days. I am quite possibly enjoying the best health I have ever been fortunate to have and I can't believe that as I complete another spin around the Sun that I feel better now than I have for a long, long time. I eat better. I exercise 3 to 6 times a week. I am making the best music of my entire life. I have my eyes on the prize and the payoffs have been astounding.

When I think of where I was 2 years ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago and even further - I still feel that I am living a charmed existence. To think that I came to Nashville with a simple aspiration: "hitting the reset button" after some personal trauma came to my world. My additional hope was that I would somehow be able to keep music a priority in my life. Well, within 2 years of moving to Nashville, I found myself working with great musicians, not only as a player, but as a producer, too. Then, I found myself hosting a show here in Music City, USA. Not too shabby for a guy that comes from a town of less than 20K people, with no music scene whatsoever - except for 'cover band hell'.

I never take any of this for granted. I owe the people who are in my life a debt of gratitude that I know I will never truly be able to repay other than to just be a good friend to them in return and hope that they realize how important they are in my life.

Sure - not EVERYTHING is perfect. I'm still waiting to fix that one major gap that has been there but I know, much like everything else for Even Steven, it'll all work out in the long run and patience, I have learned, is a virtue.

oh and kudos to you if you got where my blog title came from :)

and on that note..... I'm Outta Here

The Great Thing About the Internet is That It Gives Everyone a Voice and the Bad Thing is That it Gives Everyone a Voice....

Well I'm not exactly the most consistent blogger in the world....but in reality I don't always have something to say like some of the "so-called" bloggers out there. 

I have always said:

"The great thing about the internet is that it gives everyone a voice and the bad thing about the internet is that it gives everyone a voice"  ~  Jason Mapes

yeah - you can quote me on that one...I made it up all on my own...

so the reason why I haven't written a blog in a while is mainly because I have been really busy n the studio working on new music and even took the time to film a quick video for the song "Send Her My Love" that will be on an indie movie soundtrack coming out at the end of the year/beginning of 2013.

 you can watch it below or bookmark this link to watch it later

https://vimeo.com/46570431

Jason Mapes - Send Her My Love Studio Version from Jason Mapes on Vimeo.

fit to be tied.....

On my Facebook page I have been posting about fitness a lot lately because it has become a very important part of my life.  I had decided enough was enough when it came to where I was at on the grand scale of life.  I had let my weight start to get out of control and I was no longer happy with how I looked or felt.  I hated the idea of getting my picture taken because I felt that I always looked like crap in every photo.  Now some people might think that I must be a lil nutty because it's not like I was weighing in at 450lbs or something but for a guy who weighed about 150 in high school the number on the scale was not exactly what I wanted to see and I personally felt that I wasn't carrying the weight very well - the double chin, the waistline, etc...

I finally decided that I was going to make a full-blown commitment to getting back into shape.   I'm an old school kinda guy when it comes to music and when it comes to fitness.  I will always believe that the best & most long lasting results come from exercise and a proper natural diet.  I don't believe in miracle fixes.  I don't believe in magic pills or any of that jazz.  If you want to - that's fine by me. It's your choice.  Not me.  I was a student of Psychology back in college and I believe that the absolute core of fitness is commitment.  If you want to lose weight and get healthy - it takes a change of habits and in lifestyle.  I knew that the key to success for me was going to be in changing my habits and lifestyle.  I had become quite immobile over the last couple of years and was spending WAY too much time in front of computer screens, TV screens, movie screens, etc.  I also knew that it was going to take about 2 or 3 months to really implement a serious change in that lifestyle  Since my goal was to be fit not to audition for Wolverine in some future X-Men movie I believed that my goals were obtainable but would still need a serious commitment.  I signed on for a 6 month program, bought a new iPod specifically for my workouts, bought some new aerobic fashion wear and was ready to start my journey.

In addition to commitment and the diet/exercise plan; I believe you need inspiration/motivation.  Find something or someone that will inspire you.  My biggest inspiration is someone in my life that just puts me in awe of the human spirit.  A cancer survivor that is beautiful on the inside as well as out. Always positive.  Always committed to fitness and always handling whatever life deals with grace, dignity and a heart-melting smile.  It's an immeasurable inspiration for me on days when I might be easily coerced out of my workout or maybe I'm on the 4th mile of the run and need to get that extra mental push to finish those next couple of miles. When someone makes you want to be a better person - this is a good person to keep in your life!

The last thing that I recommend is to track your exercise & diet.  This has been a big part of success for me.  It helps to see how the journey is going and you can actually see progress or perhaps see reason why you are not seeing the progress you desire.

Now - maybe this whole "health thing" isn't for you.  A lot of people are content with who they are and where they are located on their own fitness scale.  If you are content then great!  This was about my personal happiness not what anyone else thought of me or how I looked and felt.  Change was needed and change is what I am working on...

......and on that note - I'm outta here (and off to the gym)

Happy Landings!

There is an old quote that says:  "To love is to risk not being loved in return."

I was having a discussion with a friend recently about the concept of rejection.  Someone was pursuing their romantic interest which just wasn't there.  They were feeling a bit guilty about rejecting this person but since the feelings were not there; the only other solution would be to give in and start a relationship with someone with for whom you have no interest.  Kind of between a rock & a hard place when you don't want to hurt someone's feelings nor do you want to grow old and die with someone that you didn't really want to be with in the first place.

I think most of us have been on both sides of this coin at one time or another in our lives.  Granted, on the surface, it probably seems easier to be the rejector than the rejectee but I am not sure that is always true.  This person was really taking to heart the pain they would be inflicting on that other person's psyche.  But as the old saying goes - 'the heart wants what the heart wants' (or vice versa).  I've been the rejector and I've been the rejected.  It sucks to have to be one or the other.  We can guide, maneuver or influence many things in our lives: our careers, our interests, our hobbies, our friends and our families but I don't believe that we can make our hearts want something, or someone, that it doesn't.  We're quite powerless, actually.  Maybe that's why love can be so very sweet or, worse yet, so very bitter.

But then again....maybe that's the reward for the daredevil act of putting one's heart on the line.  If you're a stunt cyclist you probably crashed all the time while learning your craft  Probably far more crashes than successful landings.  Although, I'll bet they would tell you that one successful landing makes all the pain of the previous crashes go away.

Here's to those that are kicking their tires, revving their engines and getting ready to once again take that mighty leap of faith!   Happy Landings, Everyone!


.....and on that note - I'm outta here!

Karmic Realignment

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the concept of Karma.  When people mention Karma I think most people tend to think about it from the negative side, i.e. "do bad - get bad".  I think that there is some merit to both sides of the karma koin though.  I don't think I've ever been "a bad person" but I certainly believe that there has been a lot of room for improvement.   The last couple of years, I have been trying to realign the Karma in my life, i.e. "do good - get good".  I think it's more of an effort to be on the good side of karma whereas it's pretty darn easy to fall prey to the dark side (and, YES, they do have cookies).

I have a friend, we'll call him "Stan".   Stan is one of the good guys.  Stan is on everybody's list of the proverbial "nice guy".  Stan is someone that has been in my circle for about 10 years now and was very instrumental with my move to Nashville and also to me reevaluating whether or not I was truly "one of the good guys".   When I looked at my life - I realized to my own dismay that perhaps I wasn't that much of  "a good guy" or at the very least I could certainly stand to be more like "Stan".  Stan has this affect on a lot of people.  It was an eye-opener.

This awakening has been a big part of my Karmic Realignment.  This has become more than just a philosophy - it has become something that I strive to achieve.  No, it's not my religion and no, I don't believe in the concept of good works buying anyone's ticket to a heavenly hereafter.  However, I do believe that you get what you give.  Why shouldn't we?  If you're mean to people then why should people be nice to you?  If you take from other people then why shouldn't it happen to you?   Sure bad things happen to good people but at least then it's a tragedy or unfortunate.  When Karma bites someone in the ass that has it coming - then Karma is doing its job.  When good things happen to people that deserve them there is a sense of order and that maybe, just maybe, Karma is keeping it's part of the bargain and bringing balance to the world.

I've been making a conscious effort to focus on the good side and believe me it takes A LOT of effort.   It's so easy to be negative and to feed that negative side of our soul.  I'm not perfect and I am certainly not trying to say that I am above the bad thoughts that invade our minds.  There have been people that have hurt me over the years and I am certainly not wishing for them to win the lottery or anything like that.  I am, however, just trying to keep that out of my circle.  Indifference is often the best weapon for me and I try to remain indifferent to the point of non-existent.  Again , it's not easy and I don't always succeed - but I try.  Hopefully, Karma recognizes effort as a positive.

Oh and Karma is also one of my favorite CDs by Winger but I think that is more of a coincidence than anything to do with this blog


.......and on that note - I'm outta here! 



~ JM

lyrics...shmyrics.....

Sympathy for the Devil is one of those songs that I sometimes get into and it and listen to the whole darn thing but then at other times as soon as I hear the opening drums - I'm hitting the skip button on my iPod.   Definitely a primo example of a mood song for me.  As songwriters - I think we have a hard time separating ourselves from our creations.  I never think of songs that I have written and question: "I wonder if people with consider this a mood song".  Creating music is a very personal thing for me and I think you take criticism as personally as if someone was criticizing your own child.  Yes - it can be that close to your heart.  Lately - I have been more of 'The Lone Songwriter'.  I haven't co-written a tune since my days in my previous band.  In that band - it wasn't like we sat down together and hammered out a tune.  Sometimes my co-writer would present me with a song and sometimes I was the one presenting the song.  We then did "our thing" to each others' composition.  It worked well for us and we didn't have very many throw-away tracks.  I think we both felt personally connected to each tune whether the contribution was something minimal or something that changed the scope of the song on a grand level.  In that band I was not the singer.  I always felt that the singer should be singing something that they "felt" so I stayed away from lyrics but now that I am doing my own thing - I am really enjoying the whole art form once again.  The lyrics are still second on my list though.  Although I don't think that it means that they suffer because of that.  What I mean is that since I am a guitar boy - I tend to start with the music.  I compose usually out of a jam session.  I will just be playing, not really practicing, just jamming.  It might be simple strumming on an acoustic or it might be giving the fingers a workout on the electric but either way it stems from that process.  If I play something that stands out to me then that is when the song starts for me.  Something sets the mood.  It might be the key of the jam or maybe it is something that puts me into a mood due to how the chords make me feel.  Sound strange?  I don't know how to explain it any better than that. Lyrics for me come from listening to the completed instrumental afterward.  Sometimes they flow quickly and sometimes it might take days, weeks, months or even in one case - years.   I had a song that was originally composed instrumentally 10 years ago and I never felt the right lyrics till one day the inspiration hit and the song was finished in a matter of minutes.  It's a strange process at times but it is what works for me.   Whenever I meet songwriters - I want to know what their processes include.  I am curious about their creative process especially when they have that different sound.  I am fortunate to host a Singer/Songwriter night here in Nashville and this has been giving me the opportunity to experience that craft from so many different artists, genres, styles and methods.  It's been a great inspirational tool for me to reconsider how I approach the craft of songwriting.


and on that note.....

I'm outta here!

My latest blog is about...Oh look! a quarter!

I hafta admit that I am a skeptic when it comes to the notion of ADD.  Well maybe not entirely- but I think the actual cases of such are far more rare than the amount of prescriptions that are handed out to "reel in" these poor "distracted minds". 

I have a focus problem at times and it's not because of ADD - it's because I have a big plate and I have put so many items on my plate that I tend to wander mentally from morsel to morsel.  See?  now I am thinking about food.  Maybe you are now, too?   Ok - Maybe it would be better if I was on some kind of medication from time to time that would cause me to "focus" on one thing at a time - but that is just not the way my mind likes to work.   I can be working on one project - let's say for example that I am editing a new video - then all of a sudden my mind hears lyrics for a song that I have been writing.  Well, I'd rather have that creative distraction than to not have the creative moment at all. 

The point I was trying to make is that I need to go ride my bike right now.


and on that note......I'm outta here......

25 Hour Days

Was back in the studio most of this past weekend working as Producer/Engineer on a couple of projects.  Got  some quality work done, too.  It's always a good thing when you make that connection when trying to find a common ground between artist and producer.  It's kind of like a color chart most of the time.  Just because you both see red doesn't mean that you are both seeing the exact same shade of red.  Same with music.  When someone tells you they want something to sound a certain way - it can sometimes be a slow process to get things to sound the way that they are hearing it in their heads.  Frames of reference do help.  When someone says "I want the drums to sound like Eric Carr's kit on the Creatures of the Night CD - that makes it a lot easier to find that common ground.  The trick is to avoid the inclination to copy it exactly.  Obviously - influences are great.  I know that I wear my influences on my sleeve - people usually can tell who my favorite musicians are by the way that I play and I have no problem with that.  On a CD production though - it's not my goal to make somebody sound exactly like somebody else.  Unless you are doing a tribute CD - what's the point?  Even in that case - I think I would still try to put my own stamp on it.  Had some good musical connections this weekend and another project is in the works.   Now - if I could only find some time to work on the Jason Mapes CD......  25 hours in the day please?   

on that note...  I'm outtie!

Winterized for Wanderlust

Rocking in Buffalo, NY

Had a great weekend on the road.  My wanderlust is secure.  Left Nashville just as some tornado weather was arriving however it seemed to follow me up into Ohio and I finally left most of it behind in Pennsylvania.  However, New York seemed to have almost what could be described as a winterized hurricane going on but it finally passed over just in time for my Sunday departure back to Nashville.


Met some new peeps, got to see a dear friend at a birthday party and played some rock and roll in the great city of Buffalo.   I wanted to stop and see Niagara Falls before I departed but the weather wasn't really that agreeable and when it comes to Winter weather....I am a Winter Wussy.

  Made it back home safe and sound and even managed a stop in Akron to visit world famous Ripper Owens' Taphouse for dinner.  Ripper himself was not in the house but the place rocks....one of my fave road stops!  Busy week ahead and rock & roll ain't dead! .......and on that note - I'm outta here!

guitar VS vox

Everybody has their own method of songwriting.  99% of the time I tend to start with the music.  Maybe because it's that I am more of a guitarist than a singer.  In fact - I don't really even think of myself as a singer.  When I say it out loud - it even sounds weird to me to this day even though in my first 2 bands I WAS the lead singer.  I think I saw myself more like a Richie Sambora wanna-be - I thought he was the "cool" in Bon Jovi.  I was a vocalist more out of necessity.   When I was in my last band - I occasionally sang live but I was more comfy in my groove as the guitarist.   Reality sets in though and it comes down to the control of one's own destiny.   I don't like to have to rely on anyone else and as I have found out time and time again - something happens to change the situation and usually for the worse.  When that band ended - I really labored over the thought of "what do I do next?"   I wasn't sure if I was just going to find another band to be the guitarist or would I try and do something even completely out of character.  Then, it hit me.  Songs were pouring out of my guitar and right behind them were lyrics and melody lines that not only fit my voice but they were saying things that "I" wanted to say.   In the last band - I wrote a lot of music but stayed out of the lyrical side for the most part because I felt that the singer should be singing about things that meant something to them -so the lead singer in that band wrote the lyrics to my particular compositions.  Didn't bother me at all.  I just got used to that idea.  Well, as we know, life can get topsy-turvy and when it happened to mine - lyrics and melodies started to flow.  At the end of any relationship - there is no better way to express and deal with your feelings that through art and those emotional events certainly jump started my own music again.  It was the best healing process in the world for me.  In song - I was able to deal with the emotions & the heartbreak but also with other demons like betrayal and trust issues from hell.   Some of it I dealt with head-on with songs that are clearly about those feelings from a very heartfelt way but I am also a smart ass & some of it surfaced in very tongue-in-cheek ways that brought a smile to my face while at the same time was expressing emotions based upon those experiences.  My new CD will certainly have some of these songs on it as well as new compositions that still keep coming every week and on that note.......I'm outtahere

gotta start somewhere....

Had a first rehearsal yesterday with a new band for some local gigs here in Nashville that was a good first get together. Now to hone down to a setlist and then we get out and have some fun soon.   Have some studio stuff to keep me quite busy this week and then a road trip this coming weekend.  Can't believe it's almost March already - didn't we just celebrate New Year's Eve????  ......and on that note - I'm outta here!

on a roll....

The Second night in the series of Singer/Songwriter nights that I am now hosting in Nashville was another success.  Great talent is coming out of the woodwork for these performances.   Nashville has been named the greatest music scene in North America and let's face it - that means its the greatest music scene in the world. Forget about New York or LA - Nashville is da bomb!  I am so lucky and fortunate to be a part of this event, too.  I get to see and play amongst the most talented people in the world and I am having the time of my life.  We had a few small tech issues tonight but we powered through and the nights are going over very well!   LOVE LIVING IN NASHVEGAS!!!  .....and on that note - I'm outta here!

Got your hammer & nails ready?

Busy day in the studio.   Working on finishing up some of the Production on "Send Her My Love".   The bed tracks are all complete with the exception of perhaps an acoustic guitar to layer into the mix.  That will leave only the guitar solo to record and then the monster of the task - The vocals.   I admit wholeheartedly that I am NO Steve Perry.  I never have claimed to be nor will I ever feel that I am anywhere near the man's talent.  I know that on some levels - I will probably get crucified by some of those people on the internet that are just looking for something to hate on.   I've seen much better singers than myself get verbally raped by music fans for treading on their favorite songs.  Hopefully some of the people out there will get that I am not trying to outdo the original nor am I trying to recreate it.  I am simply just doing my own interpretation of a song that I have loved for years.  Hopefully when it's done some people will be able to appreciate that concept.  To those that do - God love ya for being open minded and supportive!   I have often said the great thing about the internet is that it gives everyone a voice but the bad thing is that it gives everyone a voice.......


and on that note - I'm outta here!!