Greg Murat (mur-rah)
Singer-Songwriter Guitarist
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Journal May 2006
Kayden
Listening to Aunt Chani sing
May
Happy
Birthdays
Grandpa
Joe, Jason
Kayden
& Papa MP3
Gallery
Kayden
9 months old
Kayden
on laptop
Kenny's
final hurrah
Kenny's
next to last hurray
Kayden
in the yard
May 30, 2006
These days are trying. Yet the yard is beautiful
with all the work Andie puts into it. The lilacs
are blooming and smell wonderful. I drove into
to Seattle to see Freedom play at Folklife.
The problem was he wasn't playing. I was misinformed
so I spent 3 hours total driving on my free
day and still didn't get to see Freedom. I guess
Freedom friends were up until morning celebrating
his visit so I do not expect to see him today
either. Kayden fell asleep dancing with me again.
I love that time. He is so serious about his
dancing. If he really likes the moves he starts
to sing. Too fun! Life is a roller coaster these
days. Big fat highs and deep dipping lows. So
it goes. I have spent the week with Live in
Ashland CD by Freedom, Mish and Rob. It has
been a balm to my soul. There is great and ancient
poetry on the lips and in the heart of my son.
I hope he holds steadfast to the dream and will
continue to bless us with song. I look forward
to hearing him and Josh play together again.
Maybe write some music too. Josh is a brilliant
composer.
I guess Chani is going to have a new truck
as of today with the help of Lisa Marie. I hope
it carries her safely for many many years. She
loves to travel and now she has her doggy it
will be perfect for her. I hope she has peace
in her heart. I read something on a wall hanging
at Bri's house. In the end all the really matters
is how well you lived, how well you loved and
how well you learned to let go. The last is
a hard one for especially when it comes to love
that is a hard row to hoe. Let go. Just let
it go.
May 27, 2006
Andie hit day 10 today on her cleansing fast.
She talked to Mish who informed us Freedom is
playing at Folklife tomorrow in the early afternoon.
Rejoice is playing in the evening on the same
stage. Probably won't make the shows. It is
a little late to find out and I am not keen
on all the crowds. But check it out if you can.
I am messed up in the back once again thanks
to the brilliance of people and situations with
which I associate myself. I may find myself
laid out on my back again if I am not careful.
I think we are gravitating towards a move and
it may be a big one all around. Got my car wrecked
last week while I wasn't even around. Neat trick,
huh? Not a big wreck but a very expensive one.
Sometimes acts of kindness leave you covered
in spooge. Still there is something to be said
for doing them anyway. I can't think of what
that is at this time but I am sure there is
something.
In the picture above Kayden was fascinated
by listening to Chani sing through the headphones.
He sat perfectly still and just soaked it up.
Tonight he sat on the floor in the control room
and pulled the ball out of my laptop track ball
and then put it back. Out. Back. Out. Back.
Out. Back.Out. Back.Out. Back. Over and over
until I picked him up and we danced for a bit.
He fell asleep at about 10 pm. Not good. Three
hours past bedtime. I am a very tired old man
now and I still don't want to go to sleep. Oh
well. We are but fleeting moments. Thanks for
the kindness and generosity Jason. You rock!
This Saturday Manolito and Papa in concert,
see what 20 years has brought.
May 26, 2006
It was so long ago since
I saw my dreams clearly that I can't seem to
remember them. What we love drives us to our
dreams. When we compromise those dreams they
die slowly in much the same way a frog in a
pot that is slowly heated will not realize there
is a danger and will not try to escape. He slowly
cooks without noticing it except for the increasing
discomfort. Daily stress can do the same thing.
We do not even notice we are slowly going to
sleep towards life. We breathe in and out and
go through the motions but at some point we
cease to be really alive. I see an old soul
in the face of Kayden. He has an independence
and a comfort with just being. I myself feel
like an alien at times. In this day and age
there are so many cultures clanging together
that I think it more and more we are a conglomeration.
It is good and bad. A clearly defined ideal
and dream or belief is tougher for us because
we are pieces of other pieces. I think that
is why so many people migrating to this country
have no interest in assimilating the vague culture
of our country. They are here for what drives
the American dream: Cha
Ching. I am working on a new song with that
title.
I am very tired and I spent the evening with
my brother, Jimmy Culler, trying to solve the
riddles of the universe. At this point, since
it is 5 hours past exhaustion for me,
I think I shall say, God bless and good night.
Tension is who you
think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.
Isn't it the truth that the more we try to be
someone else than who our hearts tell us we
are the more stress we create in our lives.
That is never more true than when I am playing
music. It really doesn't matter how many troubles
are going on in life, they are not there when
I am playing. The same is true if I am sitting
at the console recording someone or encouraging
an artist while someone else, like Rob or Mike,
engineers. There are none of those "Who
am I? Where am I going? What am I supposed to
do?" kinds of questions. Then that little
devil whispers in my ear "What is the difference
between an extra large pizza and a musician?"
"What?" I ask. "An extra large
Pizza can feed a family of four." It is
that kind of mental attitude that keeps me turning
over every rock but the one I should be looking
under. Yet I was listening to Freedom and Rob
live in Ashland this morning. Freedom says he
hasn't met anyone old enough to know we are
where we are supposed to be. It is all relative
or it all involves relatives. It is one or the
other or both. Relax. Just relax.
May 24, 2006
Days roll together is a seamless stream. Ron
and Dave (Delivery Boys) came over last night.
I was so happy to have a chance to visit with
Dave before he leaves for Minnesota. Ron recorded
three songs he wrote with his brother. They
are collaborating long distance. Ron writes
the music to his brother's lyrics. It was a
smooth, laid back and fun session. The sun rises
on another day and I hope this brings an opportunity
for the guys as they submit one song to a competition.
It is a good tune: Shelter. Listen for it in
the future.
I hear Kayden stirring and it is
much too early for that boy to be awake. Andie
is on the 5th day of her cleansing fast and
says she feels pretty good. It was a little
edgy at the start but I am proud of the way
she has stuck to her guns. It is good to see
her taking steps to take care of herself. She
is such an artist at taking care of others.
No gigs insight at this time. I shouldn't say
that really since I have a concert in a little
over a week. What to play and who to play it
with? That is the question. Go forth and conquer..
May 22, 2006 It
is hard to defeat an enemy who has an outpost
in your own head. Sally Compton
Chani came by last night and
sang another of her tunes. She has a natural
writing ability too. She informed me that she
has written over 130 songs. It is pretty amazing
that she can sing all her songs a capella and
stay on pitch. I wish I were better at hearing
chords so I could play along on the piano. Maybe
we will be able to work that out over time.
She gets more relaxed each time she records.
Kayden sat in my lap with the headphones on
and listened to her whole song with budging.
He fell asleep while snuggling in Andie's arms
last night.
Andie's cousin Patrick showed up
yesterday and Faith came out. Andie barbecued
hamburgers, made potato salad and fed everyone
even though she is fasting. She is definitely
a giver. Faith brought asparagus and I love
the way Andie cooks it on the grill. Patrick,
Andie and I moved the Gazebo way back on the
property and Faith kept Kayden busy while we
worked. We always get a lot of work done on
the place when Patrick shows up. He just jumps
into the pan. I had just mentioned that we wanted
the Gazebo out back and the next thing I know
it was apart on the ground and we were toting
sections around the house through the neighbor's
yard and back again.
I had a bit of a rough day
as I never ate food on Saturday and instead
let Jeela, the bartender at Provinces, bring
me exotic drinks all night. The drinks were
quite diverse but shared one common trait, they
were all very strong. In my inspiration I thought,
I am not playing, I am not driving, I am not
working: go for it. I am pretty sure that was
not the best idea, especially without any food.
Ronnie said I had a great time. I myself don't
quite remember. I don't remember the last time
I ever got that silly but it has been a long
long time. The good news is I survived. I played
my cards right and lived to talk about it.
May 21, 2006
The Wisteria is blooming just outside
the window. Kayden is pounding on the kitchen
barricade with one of his little toy people.
Andie is trying to sleep. He wakes up busy and
raring to go. I am a weary soul this morning.
I got really tired watching everybody work last
night. I think Rob got some good tracks of the
Delivery Boys. Those guys are a singing playing
tribute to classic rock. I love their harmonies.
Mark Lull, the bassist, summed up last night.
"It's the end of an era." It is and
it is time for a change. Time to clean house.
Andie is on a cleansing fast right now. I need
to go on a fast of sorts myself. I am thinking
that I need to just be clean and clear for a
while. I have been in fog.
The world moves on and so do we.
I got old when I wasn't paying attention. So
many places I used to play have gone by the
wayside. Now Provinces is going to one night
of music a week only. I wonder how that will
work out. It is a lot of work to set up for
a single night. Way back when, in another era,
I used to set up my equipment in a club and
then play there 5 nights a week for a whole
month. Those days are so very long gone. The
Delivery Boys were the last band to play at
a club called the Meat Market. Their name was
on the marquee for a couple of years after it
closed. That was a lot of free advertising and
marked the end of another era Life is
different now with this new baby in our lives.
We all have many memories that come to call
and we are about the business of making new
and even better ones now. So long to a great
band and a great time. On we go to new horizons.
May 20, 2006
Typed for a half hour when I go home last night
and I see it is all gone. I was very tired so
I probably went to bed and forgot to hit save.
It was good too I am sure. Anyhow, it was fun
last night because Dale Fuentes came in to play.
Ronnie was packing his acoustic and we had a
good time. JB was ready to take pictures but
I couldn't find where I left my camera. Kelly
was in rare form and sang several tunes with
us. It was pretty much empty in there so it
reiterates that it is time for me to quit playing
Provinces. Dave and Ronnie did some Delivery
Boys tunes. Rob came down to get ready to record
the DB's tonight. Our friend Chris showed up
thanks to the blurb I put on the home page about
playing one night only. He is a good guy and
a fellow wind affectionado. Today I am tired
and I have no recollection of what I wrote last
night except to say thank you to the musicians
who came to play and the folks he came to listen,
both of you. I hope we have a great night and
get good recordings. This is history in the
making; the "last" DB show at Provinces!
May 19, 2006
Look
at life through the windshield, not the rearview
mirror.
Tonight
at Provinces one more time I step up to the
microphone. Andie is going to visit Gia. This
should be a quiet night and prelude to the DB's
last big show tomorrow night. It will seem very
weird to be at Provinces with no Ken Lee. Rob
is coming down to set up for recording the Delivery
Boys tomorrow night. He can practice on me and
I hope he brings his guitar to sit in and play.
Jimmy is going fishing this weekend.
I heard from Pastor Paul and he
just had his appendix taken out. It happened
on his wife's birthday. When it is time it is
time. The last Vesper's Service of the season
is this Sunday. I am not sure if I am up for
making the trip but we will see. I look forward
to laying low on Sunday's and playing with the
boy and spending time with the family.
Chani is back from New Orleans and
seems to have had a good time but she really
missed her puppy and said in the future she
will drive so she can bring her along. Haven't
heard from Freedom, Sarah or Josh for a bit.
I had a nice visit with Jimmy Culler
last night and he shared what a positive influence
Jimmy Wright and Mike Daily are in his life.
It is good to have friends. I sent Larry Mason
a note to let him know I heard from Miya at
Celeste Records in Japan and the RC album is
sell good, over 800 so far just since January.
Bahcha! Make great things happen!
May 18, 2006
I
have a new philosophy. I am only going to dread
one day at a time. Charlie Brown
I read yesterday in a book by Tony Robbins that
we can change our lives by changing our core
values. He suggests a 10 day commitment to focusing
on only positive things, reading at least a
half an hour every single day from a book that
is inspirational and educational. Successful
people read he said. I wonder if the Sweetwater
Sound Catalogue falls into the category of inspirational
reading. It certainly inspires musicians to
spend money. As to the 10 day changing your
life exercise, I need it badly but I have to
gather some reading material first and make
a commitment. I hate commitments. I mean, in
the past, I hated commitments. Now I see them
as an opportunity to shine and achieve. How
am I doing so far?
We are still dancing around
the idea of selling our property and moving,
staying and building, or sitting and spinning.
Right now we are sitting and spinning which
pleasantly like being on a merry go round and
brings back fond memories of childhood. Hey
I could get the hang of this.
Last night Kayden displayed
his flair for passionate expression of anger.
He does get upset at times. He would not be
comforted at first but he was so tired he eventually
gave in and allowed himself to be carried and
rocked to sleep. It is tough when nothing you
do seems to work when a little one is upset.
It is a great exercise in patience and good
for the character to continue trying until you
find a way. So now I am going to zoom into my
day and may yours be brushed by a peaceful breeze.
May 16, 2006
Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.
Harold Glasgow.
It is another lovely Washington day. Rob came
by last night for a visit and a few beers. I
suggested he record that last Delivery Boys
show and his is open this weekend. I am waiting
to see if the DB's are interested.
Kayden is into everything
right now. Andie joked that she has to go to
work to get some rest. I used a bungee chord
to attach the djimbe to the leg of the art table.
Now he can climb the drum and stand and play.
I did the same to Andie's old guitar and he
plays that as well. I put it in an open tuning
so when you strum it it plays a G chord. He
was really studying Rob last night and not quite
sure what to think of him. He did go to sleep
good. I think Andie wore him out playing all
day. He loves the water and he was in and out
of the wading pool. There is a little, maybe
not so little, temper thing going on right now.
It isn't that much fun. It is all a part of
the big adventure. We talked to Freedom and
it sounds like Sierra is doing fine. We are
looking forward to her arrival and to Freedom's
visit in June. I really hope it happens. He
and Rob have a lot of musical work to get done.
It is time I was about the business of the day.
Hope yours is the best ever.
May 15, 2006
I always wanted to be
somebody, but I should have been more specific.
Lily Tomlin
This month is rolling by
on a breeze. It is supposed to be 85 degrees
today. I watched the sun rise this morning and
it was beautiful pinks and purples. What looked
like a pretty full moon was still in the morning
sky. Last night Kayden couldn't sleep and we
all took turns with him. Finally I took him
yelling and crying out on the porch where he
stopped crying immediately. I wrapped him snugly
in a big blanket and we proceeded to watch the
night unfold. I don't know how long we sat there
but dusk turned night and the stars came out.
I pointed out the big dipper to him and he saw
it. That was a good moment. Eventually he slept
and I place him in his crib with Pooh bear.
Now another week begins. I hope it's a good
one.
May 14, 2006
Baby Kayden is snuggling with Mama Andie. He
sometimes wakes up just after falling asleep
and then he is usually up for two hours. She
is the one he wants to snuggle with and go night
night every night. It is mother's day and he
is lucky to have Andie for be mama and grandma.
Tonight she was playing tag with him and chasing
him on the floor and he was laughing his head
off. Two hours later and Kayden is still awake.
He is having a tough time. He had a little taste
of apple pie: bad idea. The sugar wound him
up and mad him very fussy. I am frustrated as
for the first time in about 11 months. Ah never
mind. It was a nice day today. Faith came over
and we all spent the day together. It wasn't
a traditional mother's day since we spent it
working. Andie got the Gazebo back together
and pressure washed some of Kayden's toys. I
painted the front door. We put Kayden in the
swimming pool for a while and he liked that.
On June 10th Kayden will be a year old.
On another happy note I spoke to Josh
last night and he played me a tune he wrote
in an open guitar tuning. It was so beautiful
and intricate. He is so gifted that way. He
is natural composer. Andie wanted to wish Christina
a happy mother's day so I stopped talking but
I think we could have talked about music all
night long. It reminded me of when I used to
go and see him at the Love Israel Farm and sit
outside in the cold and listen to him play and
sing. Saria has so much of his personality and
looks. She is beautiful.
Lastly I will only be playing Friday
night this week at Provinces. Saturday night
is the final hurrah for the Delivery Boys. I
regret I won't be able to make it to the show.
I will be home working in the studio. I guess
I could go and record them like I was going
to do but went into the hospital instead. What
some people won't do to get out of work. We
will see what happens. And that is the way the
organic biscuit crumbles.
May 12, 2006
Okay we are too darned busy if I can't write
in my journal any more. Kayden turned 11 months
old yesterday without a fanfare. Too tired to
talk about it. I guess we need to have more
fun because Andie and I are just exhausted at
the end of each day and don't seem to have the
energy to do much of anything. It is coming
up Mother's Day and I haven't done anything.
Am I bad? Dale called me today to ask me about
the website and as always he is my quality control
guy and lets me know when I am screwing up.
It is the weekend again and I am so looking
forward to some time with my family. It is my
favorite thing. Kayden has brought so much to
our lives. I wish we were closer to Josh and
Christina so we could see Saria all the time
as well. I was meant to be a papa. But Andie
is the supreme mom. It is a time to reflect
on all that all our mothers sacrificed for us
and how much love they have given. Andie has
a lioness's instinct to protect the children,
any children. She has blessed my life and the
lives of all the young people who have passed
through our lives.
May 9, 2006
Tomorrow Kayden will be 11 months old. He and
Andie and I went down to the water in Madrona,
a very lovely part of Seattle today. We were
with Elvira and Tim, new friends I have recently
met. It was good food and good company as we
ate at Ruby Asian Restaurant. We love Larb Gai
in our family and although it varies from Thai
place to Thai place it was delicious today.
It was sunny and Madrona is such an enchanted
part of the City. We both were saying how it
wouldn't be bad to live in the city in that
area. The houses all sell for a starting price
in the millions though. It may be a few weeks
before we are ready to make a move in that price
range. A few weeks, maybe more. Tim has introduced
me to a few restaurants in the area for all
kinds of food: Vietnamese, Southern fried catfish,
Thai, good stuff and not pricey. When Andie
and I stayed in Seattle for a few months we
enjoyed ourselves a lot. We were on Beacon Hill
and did a lot of walking. It is a compressed
version of everything, more food, more people,
more culture and more crime. We like the country.
Still I really enjoyed spending time in the
city with my family a lot today.
May 6, 2006
We
got the news that Josh, Christina and Saria
are not coming to visit just now. We were very
so as we had been excited to see them all week.
We are grateful that they let us know so we
weren't watching the door all weekend. We are
working on plans for a visit in August if they
do not come sooner. We love and miss them a
lot.
We are having a guest
for the day, Gwynne, a 15 month young lady who
will spend the day visiting with Kayden. It
should be interesting as this is his first visit
with another young person. Our living room looks
like a play ground but I just realized that
all these are manly toys. We will see how it
goes.
We had a fun night at the
Richmond Beach Bar and Grill last night with
Ron Llinas, John Matthews, Dave Raynor and myself.
We changed the band name throughout the night
for the Delivery Boy, The Ron Llinas Band, The
Dave Raynor Band, The John Matthews Band and
various combinations of the former names. I
thought I might get beat up for not being Dave
Noran as he is the other Delivery Boy and people
love the the DB's and all of their classic rock.
Jill, who books the music, cringed when Ron
said he might have to call on me if Dave doesn't
make it back from Minnesota for the festival
they are playing. I don't blame her. I am not
a DB. There was an old Banana Brothers fan who
recognized me and even remembered my name and
made requests off the first album I made back
in 1984. It always amuses me to see Dave Raynor
playing bass because he is a phenomenal guitar
player. He is a great bass player as well but
still. After we were done he gave me real estate
advice: keep your property. Kathy, Dale and
Mary Ellen made the show and stuck it out for
the whole four hours. I got to visit with Dale
and Kathy before the gig and watched part of
James Taylor live at the Beacon DVD. Man, Wandering
brought tears to my eyes with that incredible
harmony. Who arranges his music. It is perfect
in every way. As for the gig, it was a good
night although I was pretty tired and I also
didn't get to see Andie or Kayden the whole
day and everyone was sleeping by the time I
got home. C'est la vie. So I am glad it is the
weekend and ready to play grandpa dad.
May 3, 2006
It
takes courage to grow up and turn out who you
really are. EE Cummings
It is nice
to lay back at the end of the day and take it
easy for a bit. Rob came over last night with
David to do vocals and I stayed up and helped
produce the recording until 2:30 in the morning
and then headed off to bed. They kept at it
most of the night. I haven't heard how it turned
out but it was a blast and it was nice to be
working with Rob. We are a good team and he
is an amazing producer and engineer. I love
the city but I am country at heart and every
afternoon Kayden and I have been walking at
the back of the property and then playing on
the trampoline. Our little bird comes and sits
on the cedar stump the whole time we are on
the trampoline. It is one of the best parts
of my day.
Here is another good quote from my friend Dale.
Love you man.
Blessed is the person who sees the need, recognizes
the responsibility, and actively becomes the
answer.
William A. Ward
May 2,
2006
A contented mind is the
greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world.
Joseph Addison
It is a new day and the beginning of May
and there is new promise in the air, in the
new blossoms and the peeks of sunshine we are
seeing. Christina called and Josh, Saria and
she are coming to Washington this week. Yea.
We are excited to see them. I am sure they will
be busy with all the friends they have here
but any time we get will be so very much appreciated.
What a beautiful and old soul Saria seems to
be according to the wonderful pictures her papa
Josh keeps sending. And she loves her daddy.
Andie is feeling a little better
and maybe even passed her kidney stone. We may
start a stone business if we can find a market.
We sure can make them. Our little man is scooting
around in a flurry now. He has started to stand
by himself and it will just be a minute before
he is running full speed. He is going to be
an outdoorsman like his uncle Jimmy. He is happiest
when he is in the yard. There is a sparrow that
flies all around us when we are on the trampoline.
Kayden watches him as he circles around the
nearby bushes. Today he landed right on the
trampoline. They seem like old friends. I love
the spring and I love our home at this time
of year more than any other.
New hopes on the horizon. Bring
it on. And look out for Kathy and Dale and confound
and capture the bad monkeys who stole from them.
Bad monkeys. Thank God they did not hurt Bucky
and Lucy was the ray of sunshine Dale saw in
that storm. God bless all the folks who know
how to count their blessings.
All contents ©2003-2022 and to infinity and beyond Andie Murat and Greg Murat All Rights Reserved
Greg Murat (mur-rah)
Singer-Songwriter Guitarist