Back in the saddle again....just completed another song for the album selection process. I'm also planning to start a webcam series as soon as I purchase the webcam I need. Amongst other things, I'll be sharing the new songs, and the best part is that you get to choose what makes the cut! That's right folks. 40 songs on webcam. At the end of the process, be sure to drop me a line to let me know what your favorites are, and I'll get to work! The prize for our participants is a couple of previously unreleased tracks before they hit the CD. Whew...I'd better get back to it.

Thank you everyone!

Jonathan

www.jonathanlaird.net

Hey everyone! Great news! The webpage is completely restructured and fully functional. Drop on by and let me know of any adjustments you'd like to see made to make the experience better.

Have fun!

Jonathan

Personal responsibility is a phrase that has become virtually extinct in the modern day vernacular. People shy away from it. They see a whole host of problems of society, and have a myriad of both complaints and opinions regarding said problems. Sociology, Economics, Politics, Science, and Religion are but a few of the subjects we could cover in this segment. However, I'd like to take a look at something deeper that I believe shapes the way in which we view the subject matter. The concept of worldviews …

People, are by and large imprisoned by the boundaries of their own minds. The reasons why, are all but limitless. Presuppositions (this happens to be a topic of which my dad is a huge fan), self-doubt, and troubled pasts are but a few of the mechanisms that limit others from achieving their full God-given potential. For those who have bad histories, the notion that history repeats itself is not a source of inspiration. I've faced these challenges in my own life, and they have taken on many forms. …

Wow! Just yesterday I recognized a significant need to bring militant organization and structure into every arena of my life. It's a daunting challenge seeing as how my natural tendency is to be the personification of disorganization. Help!

Excellence must be pursued. It is not merely given or contagious as if it were pandemic. It is a true example of the old adage, "Luck is where preparation and opportunity meet." If I'm to become truly great at my calling in life or anything else for that matter, it begins with intention, but then surpasses intention by moving on into a clearly defined direction. Success is goals. Decisions we make today will shape the lives we live tomorrow and we will discover that what Benjamin Disraeli stated still rings true today. "First we make our choices, and then our choices make us."

I'm a big D.I.Y. kinda guy. I always loved taking things apart. Sometimes I even put them back together. I watched MacGyver religiously. Mullets were in fashion back then. Don't believe me? Check out Huey Lewis and David Hasselhoff. I love How Stuff Works. I love making my own food. I like knowing what goes in it. I watch YouTube tutorials on how to do new things for the basic reason of "If I can do it myself, it may turn out better and more cost-effective than hiring someone else to do it. Try this …

Man! What a weekend! After playing three shows in the course of four days, I am ready for some much needed r and r. The crowd response and turnout wasn't quite what we anticipated, but over time, I've come to realize when that happens, the problem is not the audience. After all, the customer is always right. I'd like to get to the point where I can gauge what the crowd wants to hear, and then run with that. It helps me to stay positive, regardless of those circumstances, and the way to do it is simply to …

For those of you who haven't heard, there appears to be an entire genre of music influenced by the first generation Nintendo video game themes. The category is appropriately named "8-bit." Just like in any other form of music, there are some who are more creative with it than others, but what surprised me is just how innovative artists in this styling can be. One group called YMCK uses surprisingly complex chord structures and whoever is playing on those recordings knows their stuff. Take those sounds and put them on a classical guitar or a keyboard, and you may be surprised at the outcome. You may dig it. You may not. I can only say I'm learning a few things I didn't know before, and that, is extremely gratifying.

Saturday night, February 6, 2010, the world lost Ben Trussell. For those of you who don't know Ben, I'll be happy to share my memory of him with you, as I have no doubt that you'll be better for having experienced him on some level. Many people knew Ben for his gifts. An alien-like ability to spin a lyric, soulful melodies and entrancing guitar parts. These things certainly were a big part of what Ben Trussell did, but they were not who he was in and of themselves. On a deeper and more personal level, …