The Orange County Music Awards will take place on Saturday April 4th at The Grove of Anaheim! While it may seem that this type of event has a built-in audience and is a mainstay attraction to Orange County, your support and attendance on April 4th not only solidifies your interest in the music scene, but also helps to support the continuation of this event and it’s ability to recognize local talent from the music scene here in Orange County (in other words, buy some tickets and join the fun this year).

For those of you interested in attending this years Orange County Music Awards (and I would love to have you there to support), you can purchase tickets for $25.00 at The Grove of Anaheim box office OR at Ticketmaster:

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/09004166A5B84495?artistid=1271733&majorcatid=10005&minorcatid=0

You can also find more information regarding this years OCMA’s at their website:

www.ocmusicawards.com

Thank you to everyone for listening to my music! I can’t imagine my life without a guitar in my hands and a microphone in front of me. To me, that is living.

Cheers and I hope to see you out on April 4th at The Grove!

~ Mike

9:30 AM
the continental breakfast
is already gone

In all fairness, Days Inn told me 5:30 to 9:30 AM… and apparently, they are very serious about this.

Seattle University was amazing last night. I came in expecting something far different then what I received, and to say the least, I am anxious to come back. Few things in life make a 1,000 miles seem like a jaunt, however, my reception last night pulls its weight in charm. Thank you! I had your attention and you have my gratitude… and consequently my CD, and that’s cool.

I’m on my way out the door to see Seattle a bit. I did a lot last time I rolled through town:

SPACE NEEDLE – check
EXPERIENCE MUSIC PROJECT – check
PIKE’S PLACE MARKET – check
DOWNTOWN – check
MUSEUMS – check

Where’s the fun in repeating yourself though?

As a side note, I was in Portland the night before, and my friend Joy was telling me a story about a whale that accidentally became beached somewhere along the Portland shore. Now, the whale unfortunately died or was dead upon arrival, but this left an enormous creature lying along the banks of their waterfront, begging the question, what do we do with this enormous dead carcass? The wisest of what Portland had to offer met and devised a plan.

Do we chop it up and dispose of it? NO

Feed it to sharks? NO

Do we find someone that could try to make good use of it, perhaps for study? NO

Can it be buried? NO

THE ANSWER:

They blow it up with dynamite. Hard to believe? Yes. So, this is for you:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZhn28_Z9wc

Coming to you from Seattle, this is Mike Vitale with KATU Channel 2 News.

~ Mike

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

If you like this (shame on you… shame on me), you can find plenty more at:

www.failblog.org

… the above are some of the more domesticated examples. Just fair warning.

For me, sometimes falling back asleep becomes this sort of futile effort; it starts with a barrage of thoughts, sort of like being stuck between two protesters on soapboxes a foot apart, screaming starkly contrasting opinions at each other through bullhorns.

Lot’s of this:

and not enough of this:

What do you do; sulk and watch TV? Sometimes, yes, but not this morning… and I’m hard pressed to call this sort of thing insomnia; I have no trouble falling asleep initially, it’s more along the lines of me waking up after 5 or 6 hours of sleep and my brain just chooses a bad time to talk; you know the drill, the cell phone rings, it’s an old friend, and the conversation goes, “I would love to talk, but I’m busy walking a tight rope over a vat of hot lava at the moment and I could really use the extra concentration right now, besides the balancing pole that you see all those circus people using to keep their balance is taking up all my hand space, so I’m attempting that patented squeeze my cell phone between my head and shoulder trick, it’s not working, and I’m starting to get a kink in my neck, can I call you back?” All of this, aside, falling back asleep seems like an easy enough task right?

Step 1: Close your eyes
Step 2: Go back to sleep

However, somewhere in between step one and step two, I find too many stray thoughts running rampant… or maybe they find me. It’s hard to say. Sometimes it’s worries; sometimes it’s just random thoughts:

I wonder if Bill Cosby likes jazz as much as he does Jell-o pudding?
It probably depends on how much Jell-o is paying him.
I miss the Cosby Show.
These sheets are cold.
Why didn’t I go to the bathroom before I got comfortable?
Pillows do fantastic things to my hair; it’s like a Christmas present every morning when I wake up.
What time is it?

This morning was no exception, so I went on a pilgrimage to the coffee pot, looking for answers. While on my trek, I found my cat’s tail by accident; it was sort of like braille for my foot because it was dark in the house; he was not pleased.

I settled on the couch with my cup of coffee and no cat (he was too busy sulking), and began running through a couple of free object writing exercises that I recently read about in a book by Pat Pattison called “Writing Better Lyrics”. Today’s object: polyester. Yeah, that was a tough one. However, it really hashed up some great memories from my childhood; I’m not sure if your grandparents had an affinity for polyester clothing, but mine sure did. They’re pretty fun exercises; you should try them sometime. I’m on the second chapter at the moment where he discuses the creation of interesting metaphors… I hope you had better luck sleeping this morning that I did! That’s not to say that I’m not perfectly content with where I’m at right now.

“Good morning, starshine… the Earth says hello!”

~ Mike

Control is a funny thing. We all need and want to have it over something, whether it be ourselves or someone else. By my own estimation, I would say that we try the most to exercise this action over other people, however, sometimes without even realizing it. That’s the nature of power, right? You can’t exercise power over something unless you first have control of it.

I think that’s why I like this song below so much. When he have the opportunity to turn the tables on someone exercising power over us, it feels good… and that’s what this tune is about… albeit, dressed in the hooded garb of magic and the supernatural.

“Wrapped Around Your Finger”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZoZPl_AYn0

~ Mike

If you really want the full effect of Queensryche (like the picture above isn’t enough), I suggest doing a google/youtube search for “Jet City Woman.” Seriously, look them up; things of this nature aren’t a waste of time. It’s educational and a shinning gem of what was running rampant in full make up, tights, and stilettos before Nirvana.

If it wasn’t for my brother, I’d probably be covering any other number of songs out there that aren’t half as cool as ones like “Manic Depression.” Thanks man; that’s brotherly love for you right there.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryPAsSXGlZk

~ Mike

please refer to numbered footnotes below labeled as [1,2,3, etc.]… I realized shortly after writing this blog that myspace doesn’t account for footnotes.

You know, I used to think I was good at multitasking[1] …

I have this clear recollection of when I was 8. One of my friends asked me if I could chew gum, rub my belly, and pat my head all at the same time[2]. At any rate, such acts seem to come pretty easy to me, and when it doesn’t, I relish in the effort to accomplish them; arbitrarily, let’s suggest getting my right and left hand to work together to play a song on piano… not easy, but I enjoy making it happen… or more to the point, keeping up on writing new blogs while I run through all of my other daily routines: working on the new album, coordinating rehearsals, writing new music, practicing new music[3], arranging and producing[4], booking shows, playing shows, setting up a tour, blah, blah, blah… you get the picture. Now it probably sounds like I’m making excuses[5]; I’m really just trying in vain to explain my abstinence from a regular online presence and feel that perhaps at the very least, I could write you all a little more often. I promise to make a better effort.

So speaking of the new album… it’s definitely giving me a musical woody[6] . In fact, I’ve posted a new song called “We’ve Been Down This Road Before”. I hope you like it. For those of you who are going to say “wasn’t that track already up on your page?” The answer is Yes and No[7] .

In conclusion, the good news is that while I have disappeared from the Internet, I have been quite busy… but hopefully to the greater benefit of your ears . The new album is a daily event and I have whole assortment of songs that are scheduled for recording, are recorded, or at the very least, are in the process of production. I can’t wait for them to reach your iPods, let alone, your ears.

My guitar is calling me. Got to go.

Questions, answers, fetishes[8]? Comments? Insults?

~ Mike

—————————————————–
1. However, I’m certain that I’m good with footnotes. Exhibit A. Not to be confused with Xzibit. He can pimp your ride; this footnote, on the other hand, cannot.
2. Honestly, show me someone who can’t do that and I’ll make fun of them. That kid used to bore the shit out of me. Or did he? I could just be making him up… his name was Stephen… well I’m sure it still is Stephen.
3. I’m working on the John Coltrane Solo to “Moment’s Notice” on BLUE TRAIN as well Charlie Christian’s solo on the Benny Goodman track “I Found a New Baby”… it’s coming along nicely.
4. I wish that I could adequately describe how much of my time this takes… I suppose it’s something along the lines of a story I read regarding invention. When Thomas Edison was working on building the first light bulb, I think he failed well over a few thousand times before he got it right. In fact, this popular quote was derived from his efforts: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” With this in mind, I have already created and discarded several permutations of productions/arrangements of various songs in which you will never hear. Only one will work; sometimes it’s hard to find creatively.
5. … and maybe I am.
6. It’s all about song titles.
7. Yes it was up on my page previously but that version actually had programmed drums and bass in MIDI (I use these tracks to show the drummer and bass player what I have in mind) and was mixed by your truly… and I’m not very good at mixing music. In regard to the No portion of the statement, the version that I am putting up today has real musicians playing real instruments, has a number of new instruments that I wrote and performed myself (including vibes, Rhodes, organ, etc) and has been mixed by a professional. This one bumps in el coche (not to mention in non Spanish speaking cars as well).
8. I hope.
9.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wqfcwgT0Ds

So, I had the strangest thing happen the other night while playing a gig in Oakland at The Nomad Café.

I was playing the first song of my set, which just so happened to be a brand new tune called “Joy”. Two of the ladies in the audience were laughing hysterically throughout the song and it made me happy that they were taking so much enjoyment out of the tune. Now, before I continue with the rest of this little ditty of a story, here, have a listen to the song (yes, it is integral to the tale):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGsBkpN55Cg

I complete the song and everyone goes bonkers in the room. The two girls that were especially taken by the tune announce that their names are both Joy and that they really enjoyed the song I wrote about them. I come to find out later that these two lovely young ladies are friends of my tour mate Sas. After completing our show at the Nomad Café, one of the Joys invites Sas and I back to her pad to enjoy a beer with her and her husband. Sas and I hop into our ride and follow Joy back to her place. As we tail her through the streets of Oakland on route to her home, I can’t help but notice Joy’s license plate:

Coincidence?

~ Mike

PS

I just wanna do something special for all the ladies of the world… ladies…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFjrbmj0CUc

I would like to introduce you to an acquaintance of mine from San Francisco, California. This is Steve:

Steve is a “Pot-less Pothead”. While walking the streets of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco, you might run across SEVERAL, if not a DOZEN of these deprived and destitute folk just like Steve, starving for their next bong rip. The sadness that pervades from his story is all too grim; Steve simply doesn’t have the funds to pack another bowl. His THC starvation could inevitably lead to a day of sobriety or perhaps, even worse, to a local book store for a cup of coffee or a good read in order to pass his time.

However, you can help! Make a small donation to the Mike Vitale Pot for Pot-less Potheads Foundation (MVPPP Foundation).

The MVPPP Foundation has already helped several people just like Steve to maintain their daily habits in order to continue their useless and meaningless existence in the face of mankind! A few dollars a day can help people just like Steve to successfully blind fold themselves with a small piece of dental floss, play video games, eat vast amounts of junk food, watch infomercials, and laugh at jokes that really aren’t that funny or clever, all while enjoying their Scoobie Snacks. With your small charitable donation, we can keep people just like Steve as high as a kite with absolutely no clue what to do with their lives!

Charitable donations can be made by cash or check in any denomination and, as always, are never tax deductible. Please make all donations payable to:

The Mike Vitale Pot for Pot-less Potheads Foundation
P.O. Box 3064
Fullerton, CA 92834

Make a difference. Join the Mike Vitale Pot for Pot-less Potheads Foundation today! End the hunger.

~ Mike

PS

Greetings from San Francisco – More blogs from the road to come so stay tuned!

I was on the KDOC show Daybreak OC this morning and thought that I would share:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGsBkpN55Cg

I’m in LA hanging with my friend Barbs and we’re going to grab some Thai food before the show tonight in Los Angeles.

More stories to come about this morning!

~ Mike