Rock Cookie Bottom

#185! “The Book of the New Sun” I just finished...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:35:01 -0700

#185! “The Book of the New Sun” I just finished reading a really excellent series called “The Book of The New Sun” by Gene Wolfe. You should read it.

#184! “Steve Rouse Song.” Song request from the...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:05:12 -0700

#184! “Steve Rouse Song.” Song request from the folks at WBAL in Baltimore!

Apartments.com Contest

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:48:16 -0700

Apartments.com Contest:

I’ve entered this video into Apartments.com’s “Roommate of the Year” contest. It’s currently in the finalist selection phase. If I make past this phase, then you can vote for me. For now, it would be great if you’d watch it (and rate it if you’re feeling extra uber helpful)! Plus, you get to see where I live!

#183! “We’ll All be Fools!” We played the...

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:30:24 -0700

#183! “We’ll All be Fools!” We played the first show of our residency yesterday, and that’s where the footage comes from…unfortunately, the sound didn’t come out at all, so you’ll have to wait another week to see footage of us playing! But it went really, really well! Good turnout, lots of dancing, we had a blast! Hope to see you next week! This song is about you.

#182! A bit of advice. big steps will only crush yousmall steps...

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:14:22 -0700

#182! A bit of advice.

big steps will only crush you
small steps will never get you anywhere
big steps means no one will touch you
small steps learn to swim down under water

big steps and the sky will open up
small steps and the ground will suck you in
big steps will land you soaking in a tub
smalls steps you’ll be flying like a teradacyl through the air

take medium steps!

#181! Which way am I going?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:23:55 -0700

#181! Which way am I going?

#180! “Words Stuck” Another parable, sort...

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:56:48 -0700

#180! “Words Stuck” Another parable, sort of.

wandering down a road
that i’ve been before
i wonder which way i’ll go
that signpost is familiar
i know these trees and smells
and words stuck in my throat

don’t misunderstand me
some stuff doesn’t have a name
it’s a thought or a feeling

going nowhere
got no companion
but i am not alone
i smell lilacs
hear the wind call
words stuck in my throat

it’s the world breathing
it’s the burden of living leaving

i had a raincoat
but now i’ve lost it
now i have no coat
but if it rains
i have words protect me
words stuck in my throat

#179! “The King Has a Bottom”. A parable.first...

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:15:30 -0700

#179! “The King Has a Bottom”. A parable.
first we’ll go by night
then when coast is clear
we’ll strike at once
we’ll cut defenses down
fight without fear
know the journey’s long
know no garuntee
know each other
know your brother well
and we’ll know victory
a hand, a mighty hand
an arrow straight and true
but we’re glad oh
for the shadow falls
on me and you
city on the hill
we die so she can live
the blood we shed
honors the dead that
have nothing left to gives
so sing my brother’s sing
it’s closer than you think
the king has a bottom
through which death has brought him
back from the brink

#178. “I Used To Worship Michael Jackson” A...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:14:50 -0700

#178. “I Used To Worship Michael Jackson” A childhood hero dies, and I’m left with these memories. (It should be fairly obvious, but yes, that’s me dancing at age 7.)

#177! Yes! It’s true! We’re playing a series of free...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:33:09 -0700

#177! Yes! It’s true! We’re playing a series of free shows at the Uptown in Oakland, CA, every Tuesday for the next month! June 30th, July 7th, 14th and 28th! Please come! And…HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADRIAN!

#176! “You Stole My Money” Ugh! I left my card in an...

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:35:46 -0700

#176! “You Stole My Money” Ugh! I left my card in an ATM by accident and some JERK took it out and instead of RETURNING IT like any decent human being they USED it to buy $600 worth of stuff. So, Mr or Ms. Jerk, this song is for you.

#175! “The Rose of HIllside” A story of the farmer...

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:08:00 -0700

#175! “The Rose of HIllside”

A story of the farmer and his wife.

go said the farmer to his wife in december
go and fetch the rose that grows in Hillside
no said his wife as she straightened his blanket
and so that night the farmer died

the very next day she set out a walkin’
clutching close to her breast the Rose of Hillside
so though the frigid day was a knife cutting through her
deep down she was warm inside

far above the farmer’s wife an eagle was flying
deep in the brush there were eyes blinking wide
she felt as though the forest were leaning down on her
all bending towards the Rose of Hillside

there is a town not far from here called alpha omega
where the buildings are as tall as the streets are wide
the farmer’s wife came through and the whole town was empty
the people there know about the Rose of Hillside

all of this i watched with great anticipation
that a lifetime of sorrow would soon subside
for standing on my porch the farmer’s wife a hand of giving
and in the middle of her palm the rose of hillside

#174! “There is So Much to Know.” No...

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:58:00 -0700

#174! “There is So Much to Know.” No auto-tuning!

There’s so much to know
it’s like an endless stream
and i would like to go
to where my dejavu and dreams
are real
And there’s no question of what it means
concealed
in some pretty little pocket of some shrink’s golden locket of a mind
no my life laid bare all clear and sitting there and doing fine

can you look from many angles
till you’ve seen from every side
can you hear another voice
have you tried?
buildings crash around you
whole worlds are destroyed
the sun sets on the horizon
and you stare into the void

There’s so much to know
and we debate as if we knew
and i would like to go
where people really do
they do
where my dreams and my dejavu
are true

not ephemeral contaminates invading an inanimate shrine
just a reason to be tired or some or other broken wire in my mind

if i could see from many angles
till i’ve seen from every side
if i could hear another voice
i’ve never tried

there’s so much to know
it’s hard to understand
how decisions can be made
or how we can make demands
and rules
it’s a picnic in december planned
by fools

half known half grown light shone on an overblown stage
given little of a brittle handle on the superstitious bird in a cage

#173! Continuing with the auto-tune electropop folk thing I have...

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:05:55 -0700

#173! Continuing with the auto-tune electropop folk thing I have going, I present this song!

I was turning forty yesterday
and I was turning twenty
I was turning ten
and then I thought of how I think it’s funny
we don’t change
and i don’t change
and we don’t change at all
the pictures painted
and it looks the same
and that’s not strange at all

i was turning towards the fire
on a cloudy day december
I was turning round the thought
that you may not be gone

I was turning cars around
and following the sun to sunday
when the colors of the windy
morning took me of another way

#172! It’s different from what you think it is. words fall...

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:03:30 -0700

#172! It’s different from what you think it is.

words fall down and i catch them falling,
teach me to fish and i’ll never come calling again.
life is gone but thoughts remain,
god will cleanse like you’d wipe a stain away.

This isn’t what you think it is.

hold it up in better lighting,
and you’ll see there’s no truth fighting for.

#172! “What You Think It Is.” It’s different...

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:59:09 -0700

#172! “What You Think It Is.” It’s different from what you think it is.

#171! “The Day that Kangaroos Didn’t Hop” A...

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:47:23 -0700

#171! “The Day that Kangaroos Didn’t Hop” A sad day that will live in infamy!

#170! Vegetables have gotten a bad rap in this country, and...

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:59:30 -0700

#170! Vegetables have gotten a bad rap in this country, and I’m here to try to turn that trend around! It’s all about how you prepare them. Vegetables are awesome!

#169! “I Quit!!” I got a request from someone who...

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:28:31 -0700

#169! “I Quit!!” I got a request from someone who wanted to quit their job in song form! Too good to not do.

#168! “Upon Iran’s Stolen Election.” Keep...

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:56:10 -0700

#168! “Upon Iran’s Stolen Election.” Keep rocking, Iran.