Picnic...

"We need to do this more." - Us.

We live a mile from the Pacific Coast, and we find ourselves rarely taking advantage of it, especially during the winter months. Just like everyone else, we get wrapped in our lives and the stresses each day can bring. We talk about stress as if most of it is out of our control. I feel we get set on auto-pilot-mode, letting others dictate our decisions. The emotional toll that stress brings allows us to get lazy. It is easy to sit on the couch after a day at work to watch something mind-numbing, order some food from whatever food-delivery app has the best deal of the day, and pass out. Our laziness can be a vicious cycle.

I had a rare Saturday night off, and instead of going to a happy hour somewhere, getting tired, and crashing on the couch, Jamie and I decided to do a beach picnic. I raced home from work and kicked off my shoes - exchanging them for my flip flops - and we rolled down the hill to the beach in our comfortably converted VW Vanagon. There was almost no one on the beach, so we picked a spot to spread out and enjoyed the sunset. The summer breeze was coming in from the sea, and the sounds of the ocean crashing down on the sand played softly in the background as we dug into our dinner.

It is nice to put the phones down and have a conversation. I love technology as much as anyone; however, unplugging can help clear your head and get back to the scenery around us. Beauty is everywhere; you don't need a beach picnic to realize it - not to say that it doesn't help. There is always something beautiful around if we take a second to notice it. As the sun set and disappeared behind the Santa Monica mountains, I almost wanted to clap as if a band had just finished their encore.

We stayed on the beach for an extra few minutes to finish our drinks and snap a few photos; not a bad little Saturday night. We both committed to doing this more often. If I could, I would eat every meal on the beach. Take a second to see if you can find something worth pausing and admiring today.

It might just change your mood.

-YourFriendMatt

Grandmom...

"Why are you crying?" - Me.

Over the years we have put a lot of miles on our second-hand, black, '00 Eddie Bauer Edition, Ford Expedition. Grandmom, as we called her, has taken us across the country multiple times. She has gotten us up and down the mountains in Colorado and guided us through deserts in Nevada, Texas, and California. We have been through the Great Plains together. Grandmom has made it through more National Parks than I can remember, down alleyways she could barely fit through, been parallel parked in spaces that mathematically didn't make sense, all while hauling our small enclosed trailer. Grandmom has been packed with musical equipment, as well as accidentally passing through a close-set movie filming. Grandmom does what Grandmom wants. We were just there for the ride.

Since moving back to Santa Monica, the old girl has been sitting for over a year collecting parking tickets. It is unfair for us to keep her stationary. Grandmom is a road-dog. She needs to get back out there to explore. She needs to stretch her legs and adventure. She has done a lot for us, and now it is time to pass her on to the next adventurer who can get her back on the road. We will miss you old girl.

It was not an easy decision to put Grandmom up for sale. The mean streets of Santa Monica and the greed of the city have put us in the tough position of downsizing. Santa Monica and the greater LA area makes it impossible for anyone to park on any street, at any time. Grandmom was getting parking tickets weekly on our residential street. We were spending more on her just sitting there than we had in the past 5 years on repairs, gas, and traveling across the country.

We never thought we would get this upset over selling an inanimate object. I was actually quite happy to post her "for sale" ad on Craiglist. I was fueled by the hate of paying never-ending parking tickets, but once someone actually responded to make a cash offer, the sale of Grandmom became real. At first, I was glad to get rid of her, but when I cleaned her out for the last time coming across nicknacks that had been lodged under the seats from the different hotels we had stayed at, or various gas stations we filled up at, it hit me. This was the end of our time together. As we drove to drop her off to her next owner, I was fighting back the tears. An overwhelming wave of gratefulness and guilt washed over me. It didn't help that Jamie was sprawled across the foldable-bench-seating in the rear bawling, I mean really ugly crying. Full on moans and sadness poured out of her, she was inconsolable. And, so was I - on the inside.

Handing over her title and signing over our liability of Grandmom was tough. My ears were hot, and my throat had swollen shut. It took everything in me not to cry. I patted her on the hood on last time and quietly whispered my thank yous to her for all she had done for us. She had essentially protected my family like it was her own. She had made sure we always got to our destination safely. I am glad we spent the last few years together, and I hope I treated you as well as you treated us.

Take care of your new owners like you took care of us, and I look forward to seeing you soon in auto-heaven.

Thank you, Grandmom.

-YourFriendMatt

Nothing but net...

"There is no way he is going to make that full court shot." - Me.

Over the last year a couple of my friends and I committed to seeing each other more often. We all have varying work schedules that make it almost impossible to see each other, but we decided there would be no excuses. After playing the "what day works for you" game for a while we decided that Wednesdays would work for all of us. We have all played this game before. It's where a bunch of working adults stand around and look at their iPhone calendars and continue to ask each other questions like, "Does Tuesday at 4 pm work?" Then someone responses with, "Ah, no, I have a flute lesson" or "Gotta take my girlfriend to the dentist" or "Oh no dude, I can't" with no real reason given. We were committed to hanging out so we clear our schedules for Wednesday afternoons.

Organically we just started meeting up and playing basketball. I have no idea where this idea came from or why we consistently, without asking a question of why, just all knew to show up at Virginia Park in Santa Monica on Wednesday to shoot around. Most of the time we'd play horse. Every once in a while we'd attempt some one on one, or even a pickup game with whoever was there. We would talk about our weeks and upcoming plans. We'd talk shit about politics, business ventures, how our significant others think we act like teenage dorks; which in all fairness, we do. We could get together and talk about old pop-punk bands from the 2000's like it's nobody's business.

I'd like to point out that none of us have any athletic ability and looked like complete fools on the court, but we didn't care. We were out there to talk trash, catch up, and connect. Towards the end of these meet up's we decided to see who could take the most unique shot. While all the other community members were playing games of 21 or practicing their free throws, we were busy taking full court shots, screaming "KOBE!" regardless if it went in, which it never did. We are all from Philadelphia and what you see portrayed on It's Always Sunny, is not that far off from a real-world depiction of how people from that area are actually like. Interrupting another court full of players so we can do a trick bounce-shot off a trash can? Check.

Both of my friends recently got new jobs with incredible opportunities. The flip side is these new opportunities will take them away from a close proximity to Virginia Park and our basketball days have come to an end. I am super proud of these two from grinding it out and not giving up when their careers felt stagnant. Being miserable 40+ hours a week is no way to live your life, so I'm pumped we all get to do something we enjoy and get up excited about. If you have to work for someone, you better freaking like it.

I am bummed out that our collective may be on a hiatus, but I know that we will soon grace the court soon and maybe eventually someone will make that full court, bounce shot off the trash can, through the trees, off the park bench and get "nothing but net."

BoomShakaLaka!

-YourFriendMatt

Eagle-ish...

“Dude, no fucking way.” - Me.

We just stood there. I couldn't believe it. I have been playing this game on and off for five years and have never come this close. Could I have done it? My first hole in one?

Moments earlier my friend, Ryan, and I had been lining up our shots on the 5th. It's a beautiful day out in Southern California, but when is it not? It's sunny, mid-70's, with a few white, billowing clouds spotting the blue mid-morning sky. A cool breeze washed across my face as I approached my attempt to par this hole. I have played this course before and for some reason the 5th always destroys me. I can never seem to line it up right. I took a deep breath and let it rip.

Ry was watching the ball as I slowly brought my head up. I had no idea where it went so I turned to him and asked, "Where did it go, dude?" I pivoted to look towards the green and saw the flag on the pin give a little shake as if something had struck it. I thought to myself there was no way I just nailed it. There wasn't a chance. I turned back to Ry, handed him my phone, and told him to head down in front of me, I didn't want to see it yet. He looked back with astonishing awe, "Dude, you did it." He ran towards the green and I just stood there, 100 yards away reflecting on the shot.

I had pared the last three holes and was proud of that, there was no way I could have just sunk this in one shot. It just doesn't make sense, I am not good at golf. But, maybe it's just my lucky day. I trekked down towards my shot and Ry was jumping up and down screaming, "Dude, you nailed it! It popped in and out, I know it!" My ball, from a shot taken 100 yards away, had been lying on the lip of the hole. I stiff breeze or tremor could have toppled it in. I couldn't believe it. I finally did it, the eagle quest was over. I couldn't, and still can't, believe it.

Ryan tried to convince me that it was a hole in one, but we all know it wasn't. At most, my ball might have popped in and out of the hole, potentially, for just a moment, it was a hole in one. I will take the eagle. We must have stayed there for ten minutes celebrating and holding up everyone behind us trying to tee off. I didn't care. We took photos, videos, and I am pretty sure I text everyone I have ever played golf with to show them this accomplishment.

The most humbling thing about this experience was the very next hole I sliced it back into the tree line. There we go, that's the game I am used to. Maybe it was a bit of luck from the golf gods to let me have a moment in the sun, but they promptly put me back in my place on the 6th.

Damn you, golf gods. Why must you play with my emotions like this?

-YourFriendMatt

Friday 6-Pack...

It’s a beautiful Friday in Southern California and we hope yours is shinning as well. This week we have new tracks from east-coasters Saver, ARMORS, Sunsleeper, and more brought to you exclusively through Apple Music! Check it out now!

We even have a bonus song from Spanish Love Songs! Congrats on them just signing to Pure Noise Records!

Music saves.

Listen, enjoy, and share!

-YourFriendMatt

Traveling...

"How the shit does this camera work?" - Us.

We love traveling. Getting out and adventuring into new terrain, excited for what we will see, who we will meet, and wondering if our van will make it through whatever off-the-beaten-track roads we come across in the heartlands of the country. We have found some of our favorite places on Earth just taking the next road we come across and going down it. The unknown is an addiction for Jamie and I. We thrive on it and reference Kath and Dave from Portlandia all too often. These characters live to be stressed out and over-obsessive. The sense of adventure can be romantic but thank our stars for roadside assistance.

I do not claim to be a photographer in any sense of the word. Most of my Camera Roll is pictures of either our dogs or accidental screenshots I have taken while attempting to open my iPhone. We do have an old Canon AE-1 film camera that we take with us when we travel and I freaking love it. My dad won it at a local auction house in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He got a box of vintage camera parts for his bid of $10, and this camera was still intact and functional. I feel like Peter Parker with this thing, plus it gives me a little cred when I see other self-proclaimed travel photographers with oversized, and overpriced, camera lenses the size of a Ford Focus, and weight just as much. I usually get an approving head nod or thumbs up when they see this camera strapped around my torso, bouncing on my hip.

Shooting on film is different from digital photography. There is no instant gratification. The only gratification is hearing the crisp click of the aperture capturing light. You have to line up your shot with film. You don't get to "Burst Mode" and snap a thousand photos in three seconds and then instantly review your work on a digital screen. You have to either get it right or don't. I try to keep a little journal and mental notes of lighting exposures to try to figure it all out. But, sometimes even when you mess up a setting or lighting, it still turns out great. I included some shots from our recent travels below and I love the way they turned out, even if some of them are a little dark. 

Idyllwild, CA

From a recent trip in February 2019

Telluride, CO

From our Honeymoon

Arkansas?

We broke down here. Honeymoon 2018.

Arches

From our Honeymoon 2018.

-YourFriendMatt

Idyllwild...

“Holy shit! It’s so cold!” - Us.

Adventure is out there, and we were aiming to find it. We recently spent a few days in Idyllwild. We packed up our VW Vanagon, put sweaters on our dogs (we are those people), and braved it up the 5,000 foot elevation at a whopping 17 MPH, in the snow, to take in the peace and quiet this small mountain town has to offer. Jamie and I love to get out of the busyness and noise of Los Angeles. Idyllwild, although very small, has an adorable feel. Everyone seems to know everyone by first name. It was great to sit in a bar, restaurant, or coffee house to enjoy the panoramic, snow-capped views or chat with folks that had grown up around the area. Everyone there seemed to love visitors.

We are both from Philadelphia so you would think we are use to the cold, but it is incredible how much your body changes to adapt to your surroundings. We are use to the sunny weather of Southern California living now. We were cold, and obviously unprepared for snow, but we found comfort in local shops and cozy restaurants to keep us warm. Our motel was just north of town and serenely quiet. We found ourselves sitting on our balcony completely bundled up, looking out into the wilderness in awe.

We will be back, Idyllwild! But, next time I am bringing boots!

Check out the video above made with Clips.

-YourFriendMatt

Friday 6-Pack...

The rain is over in LA! ⛈ Here is this weeks rock-alternative playlist to kick off your weekend including Cassettes, Tiny Moving Parts, Timeshares and more! Check it out now!

Music saves.

Listen, share, and enjoy!

-YourFriendMatt

Lost Sock...

I set numerous goals for myself this past year and have accomplished most of them. I got married, graduated from college, got back into running routinely, worked on restoring our beloved VW Vanagon, did a cross-country road trip, I played music regularly, and continued challenge myself creatively. I am a very lucky individual and do not take what I have for granted. I have appreciated 2018, even when things looked grim, and boy, did some grim things happen this year.

One of the last projects I wanted to accomplish before closing out the year was releasing a short (very short) film. Attached here is a footage from a day off I had with our dogs, Piper and Penelope, when we lived in Nashville. When I finish errands early, exercise, and run out of laundry to do,I find myself getting antsy. Jamie hates it, but I am not really a ‘sit on the couch and relax’ kind of guy. So I decided to take my trusty iPhone, a tripod, and my actors (Piper and Penelope) and come up with something creative for us to do. This short is the end result.

The whole video is less than 2 minutes to watch, but took me way longer to find the footage and edit all the goofy sounds in.

Things can always get worse, count your blessings (or whatever you believe in), and let’s leave this place better than we found it in 2019 (and forever)...and always remember to have fun!

Thank you for taking time for us today.

Please feel free to leave feedback, thoughts, and comments! -

-YourFriendMatt

Van Renovation: Chapter 3...

“We are converting the back of the van into a bedroom, how hard can it be?” - Me.

We recently got the idea to reupholster and redesign the back of our van to turn it into a cozy little bedroom. The back bench already folds down flat into what could be a full bed. If we could figure out a way to make the rest of the area comfy we can have a mobile bedroom on wheels. 

The anatomy and design of the Volkswagen Vanagon are pretty interesting. The engine is in the back, the battery is under the passenger side captain chair, the spare tire is under the back seat and you check the oil dipstick behind the license plate. It’s been fun to figure out how to configure a routine maintenance plan. It is very different from popping the hood on most American cars and having everything in one spot.

After some quick internet searching, planning, and shopping around for the right comfy cushion for us, we found a peice of memory foam that fit our budget. Most upholstery manufactures and local shops charge triple the amount of what a piece of memory foam cost, it is a weird niche market. After we did some research we felt pretty sure we could do this ourselves. We landed on making our own mattress for our van. Armed with our simple memory foam mat, we made some measurement plans, and were on our way. 

Crude, but it worked...

To reinforce our DIY van bedding, we purchased a piece of plywood from our local hardware store. I traced the floor plan on some taped together paper shopping bags (unusual, but worked. Use what you got!). This floor plan template was easy and helped me align both the foam and plywood so they would match perfectly. Work smarter, not harder.

Once we had everything cut to size it was just a matter of making it all look pretty. 

Pretty easy project to make any Vanagon or adventure mobile even more comfortable!

Finished Product...time for the beach...

-YourFriendMatt

Friday 6-Pack...

Happy Friday! This weeks playlist is a story. It starts off poppy with some new tracks from With Confidence & Crooked Teeth,  slows down with The Story So Far & Youth Fountain, and ends with some metal singles from Counterparts & Quiet Fear.

It’s been an odd week but these songs capture it pretty well! 

Music Saves.

Listen, enjoy, and share!

-YourFriendMatt

Van Renovation: Chapter 2...

"What do you think I should do with these holes in the van floor? We can see the road as we drive." - Me.

After ripping out the seats in our VW Vanagon, it was time to figure out what we were going to do with the empty-space the seat removal had opened up. Put a shag rug in and hang a disco ball? Add captains chairs or turn the seat around so everyone sitting back there can face each other? Leave and never come back to it because renovating anything is a pain in the ass? None of those options seemed right, so we went to Home Depot for some inspiration.

"You always grab a cart! It's a rule!" - Unknown

We finally landed on putting in hardwood flooring, like the kind you would put in your living room. We figured if it was good enough for a living room, it sure-as-shit was good enough for our Vanagon. We did some quick internet searching, and it did not look too hard. We measured and modified our plan, bought some materials and were on our way to put a new floor in our VW.

"Always look for good looking and cost effective solutions." - Unknown

We started by ripping out all the 30+-year-old, stained, shitty existing rug. Ripping up this shit-stained monstrosity felt like ripping up a large piece of beef jerky. The rug had lost all flexibility and covered 30-year-old stain-circles of god-knows-what spilled from years past. Once we had it all out, we had to sanitize the metal flooring, seal the holes where the seat had been bolted down so we could no longer see the road from inside the van, and installed some thick carpet cushion. Once we had that done, it was like playing building blocks. The flooring we got snaps together like Legos, it is a great solution for anyone doing a flooring remodel of any kind. We had to use our handy-dandy Ryobi jigsaw for this and cutting around vents and seats. It is worth it to take your time during this process, measure twice and cut once, patience is a virtue.

"Dangerously under-qualified" - We had to removed the door seam to get the carpet out.

"Where does this piece go?" - We had to remove a panel to ensure we coved the entire floor - super easy to put back on, it just snaps into place.

"Always clean up after you removed 30 year old carpet." - Einstien

Got some good carpet padding and filled in the rest with bubble wrap to create a soft and even base for the floor.

Measure twice - cut once. Had a few handy dandy tools to make light work of this project. Invest in a level, measuring tape, rubber mallet, and a good blade for your cuts. Then just put the panel back and screw down the door seam and you are good to go!

This whole process only took about 2 hours and added a ton of value. Customizing and getting creative with your van renovations is a huge part of what draws us to owning our van. Now we have space for all kinds of activities! 

We have a bunch more plans and ideas lined up so stay tuned!

-YourFriendMatt

Van Renovation: Chapter 1

"I mean, how hard could it be to rip a few van seats out?" - Me.

Right after we moved back to Santa Monica we knew we had to get our VW Vanagon back. We had one before the last time we lived here and missed the days of cruising in the van on the PCH, stopping to pull over if we found a cool beach area, and just hanging out in the van. We scoured Craiglist, local ad’s, and Facebook marketplace for a few weeks until we finally found one worth checking out. According to our mechanic, the engine seemed good, the body was in great shape, and besides a few minor upgrades, we found our van. Now, it is up to us to make it ours.

One of the first this we wanted to do is rip out the center, bench seats to create more space for activities. I will have more updates as the van renovation process goes, but here is a quick video of me, with no knowledge of how to do this, doing my best to remove the seats.

Enjoy and comment below! I'd love to hear from you!

-YourFriendMatt

Take me back to the road...

"Man, there ain't nothing out here." - Me.

We complained so much and stressed out over the last few weeks. Packing, unpacking, packing back up and unpacking it all again. At the time we were not the biggest fans of surviving on an endless amount of  roadside snacks or take out gas station foods for our meals, but, we both agree that we would do it again in a heartbeat; and again. And again.

Jamie and I are settling down down and getting a routine for the first time since Fall. It is great to have an address and know where you are going to be end up at the end of the day, but we both agree the excitement, and even stress, of traveling is some of the most fun we have together. There is something about waking up in the middle of nowhere, getting a crappy cup of motel coffee and planning out the adventure that lies ahead in your day.

Are we nomads? Are we destined to drive around the country with our dogs to find forgotten towns strewn across the nation and discover what's there? How can we make money doing that? How can we make a living doing that? 

-YourFriendMatt

Friday 6-Pack...On a Saturday!

Black Friday got the best of me, so I am posting this weeks playlist on a Saturday. We have new upbeat tracks from Campfires and Snakfight, as well as a weird one from Earth Telephone and a new pre-release track from Waterparks! Tons of driving pop-punk here! Check it out!

Music saves.

Listen, enjoy and share!

-YourFriendMatt

November 18th, 2013

On this day four years ago, Jamie and I left everything we knew about the comforts of home, living with parents, and hit the road for Los Angeles. We drove through the early morning, hit one of the worst storms we had ever seen that pushed our SUV and trailer off the road, and finally ended up in Nashville, TN. This was the first stop on our first cross-country trip together. The next few days tested our relationship, forced us to think as a team and left us with memories we will never forget. 

If you would have told me on that morning that we would both advance our careers, move to Nashville, get engaged, buy a home, and then move back to Los Angeles before 2018; I honestly don't know what I would have said. Maybe I would have said "Hell yeah!" Who knows. 

Nashville now holds an extraordinary place in our hearts. This is where we bought our first house that we turned into a home. During that first stay in 2013, we hit a storm that delayed our drive for hours and we were in terrible spirits when we finally got to the city. The second we got out of the SUV, our moods changed. We heard the music, saw the lights of downtown and wanted to be apart of it. We had a blast "honky-tonkin" and hitting all the bars up and down Broadway.

Here is to reflecting, learning, and loving.

-YourFriendMatt

Our home for the next week - November 17th, 2013

Had to take off the trailer so we could park - Not fun

No idea.

When in Nashville...

The Don Kelley Band @ Robert's - Best band in Nashville - Had no idea this would become our local bar 3 years later when we moved in a few blocks away.

Homeowners...

“Well, what do we do now?” - us.

We have just taken a huge step in our lives. For whatever reason, the forces guiding us thought it was time to buy a home…so we did. We are officially homeowners, and citizens, of the great city of Nashville, TN. It is an odd, scary, exciting, anxious, endless all-emotion-encompassing time of our lives.

Standing in the living room for the first time in our new home, we couldn’t help but scratch our heads in uncertainty, having no idea what to do next. We stared at each other in the classic “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” trap. We spent weeks searching for a home, signing papers, wiring thousands of dollars for a reason we did not really understand; always kind of thinking in the back of our minds “there is no way this will go through.” Now, standing here it seems that the process of buying a home happened in the blink of an eye, and we were left with the keys in hand.

This has become one of the most rewarding and challenging times of my life. I think back to all the work accomplished throughout the years at the gas station in high school, slaving at McDonald’s, working business sales for commission and finally my current position...saving as much as I could, knowing I would one day buy a piece of Earth, and that day has come. Looking at my bank account is a shock (to say the least), but I know that I am investing in our future, and I could not be happier.

Here's to all the memories we will create here and if anyone ever wants to stop by; you know my fridge always has a beer waiting for you.

Enjoy the day!

-YourFriendMatt

Packing is no fun...

“Well. Packing sucks.” - Me.

We found out last week we are moving back across the country. I feel beyond blessed, lucky and excited to take our next steps in our adventure together. California has been an amazing ride and taught us more life lessons than I thought possible. Who know’s; maybe we even became adults here.

All that aside, packing is awful. Moving to California was much easier. We moved out of our parent’s houses. We did not have or already own anything. It was great! We moved with clothes, all my band t-shirts, and my record collection. Now? Completely different. I own a couch? I have a bed outfitted with memory foam pillows and rustic-Etsy style duvet? Holy hell, I know what a duvet is; and how to spell it correctly? When did I start caring about the condition and look of cookware? I have a hamper? And? I have to choose what stays and what goes before we haul it across the country? 

Although this is a form of hell and taking up more time than I thought; it will be worth it. I plan on cutting my stuff down by at least 25%-50%. Which, if I stop complaining, will be a good thing. If I haven’t seen or used it in a year; it’s gone. But, no matter what Jamie says…I am not getting rid of any band t-shirts.

We're Moving...Again!

The time has come for us to wave goodbye to the clear sunny skies, incredible views and warm beach-bum days of California. We are very excited to announce that I accepted a promotion to Nashville, TN and we look forward to what is ahead. We could not be more thrilled to take our next steps in our adventure together. We have learned many lessons over the last few years in Santa Monica. We have had weeks living off ramen and air (and thank God the air was free), and we have also lived like kings adventuring up and down the coast. We went through 3 cars, adopted two dogs and ate more burritos that we would like to admit. 

We have made lifelong friendships that will continue until I am an old man. And, to me that is priceless. Over the last few years, we have become honorary citizens at Disneyland and if we stayed just a few more years I would be running for Mayor there. I was lucky enough to play and create music with some amazing people all over the city and got to sit where my idols sat playing drums. It has been surreal. I saw Saves the Day play “Through Being Cool” in its entirety and chatted with Dan Aykroyd about how he thought I hit drums really hard. Yes, a ghostbusting, Blues Brother saw me play drums (life goal achieved). Jamie and I have seen Justin Beiber on a hover board on Sunset Blvd and Tim Robbins asked to use my phone because his died. “Here you go Mr. Dufresne.” We even got to see Back to the Future at the Hollywood Bowl on Back to the Future Day. 

I got to go to Namm; Jamie went through a career change, and Adam Sandler and his mom hung out with us fishing off the Malibu pier one day. We got to see the Phillies beat the Dodgers, survived quakes, saw Stars Wars and I joined a soft ball league just for the free beer. I got stuck in LAX for two days, made in on The People’s Court on my lunch hour and drove to Vegas one time to shoot a short with friends. 

We have celebrated birthdays, ups, downs, b-sides and made it out just fine. Reflecting this morning is very bittersweet. We did not plan too, but we may have laid some roots here, this was never permanent. I can not wait to take the next step in our lives together. The memories we have created with such great people in our time in California have changed our lives forever.

California - Thanks for keeping us safe. Keep the traffic and I’ll see you soon.

-YourFriendMatt

Namm 2016...

“Hey, is it cool if I hit these $10,000 drums?” - Me

Noise cancelling cymbals...Sure...Why not?

I recently attended Namm for the first time. My friends tone company SoloDallas was in town to showcase and discuss their 2016 product line. Me, having never attended name before was super excited to come and be part of what they were doing. Since I was there kind of as a guest, but also kind of there to do whatever I wanted, I explored the 4 show rooms floors throughout the Anaheim Convention Center with my friend Ry. And what do you know? Of course they had multiple bars with craft beer for all the musicians of the world to partake in!

Them - Hey! Want your picture taken? Me - Yep.

It was awesome to see all the innovations going on in the worlds of music, recording and playing…not to mention to try it all out.

Saw some guitars that cost more than houses...

Running a bi-coastal media company, BrokenSoundMedia, with my partners, who knows, maybe we will pick up one of the 360 degrees keyboard for some reason.

What the hell is this thing?

-YourFriendMatt