I've been working on several albums these last six months and will be getting them out in the next year. Check out the first five songs to hear what I've been working.

The first song features Xwan: http://www.myspace.com/songsbyxwan

The music we are working on simply amazing. I love her voice and lyrics.

The rest is new music from a forecoming [bleu]:ize album. This album is the beginning of a journey.

Enjoy!

Nez

I know for a while after I moved back to Houston, I simply didn't know anyone around me that had marched. And it is very hard to explain to someone what the experience is like if you haven't been through it. I would bring it up in conversations, and rarely would anyone care what I had to say about. I might as well been talking to them in some foreign language only I understood. I would occasionally run into someone who knew about it or had marched, but these were nevermore than a fleeting conversation; something to just wet my appetite, to feed the hunger just enough to keep the fire going.

I will admit, I did a horrible job of keeping up with friends I had known in DCI that lived in Texas. I can live in the now alittle too well. And so these years of my life , all the experiences I remember, and the many I know I have forgot, were pushed to the back of my mind while I moved forward in my life. The years began to slip by.

When I joined D-fyant, I finally meet someone who knew what all this DCI stuff was about. The conversations began again. The memories began to push their way to the front and center of my mind again. It was time to see DCI again! But the last two years, even though I knew the show was coming, I always somehow schedule a vacation for that weekend, out of town.

Then I found Facebook. And I started to find my old drum corps friends. And they began to find me. And it was awesome to see and read what had become of the people that I truly consider brothers and sisters (sorry sis) from so long ago.

And a flood of memories hit me for the first time in a very long time. And I realized what I had almost tried to forget. I miss the road, the touring, the waking up and not knowing where you are, the sweaty bus, the red water that was supposed to be gatorade, the PB&Js, the sun-drenched football fields, the very tan bodies of the colorguard, the high school gyms where we slept, the cold-ass showers, the crowds! wow, i miss performing in front of those crowds. There is no greater feeling then nailing a great show in front of a great crowd. the drums warming up, the horns playing the book, laundry day, FREE DAY in a city I'd never been to, when we would stop at a convenience store at midnight and 130 people would invade it, sleeping on the floor of the bus, doing other (more fun) things on the bus, waking up on the bus seeing a sunrise in the desert, watching a thunderstorm at sunset in the Midwest, the rhythm of the each state's roads, the bitching, the moaning, the crying, the laughter and camaraderie, and most importantly, the love that we all shared for each other each summer I marched.
I miss it, badly sometimes.

So, I finally went to see DCI live, and walked amongst the buses and the trucks of the corps, breathing in that familiar exhaust I had known so well. I watched the hornlines warm up and watched the drumlines rehearse. I even ran into an old drum instructor and a drummer I had marched with for three years. I walked amongst the kids that are living through those times in their lives right now.
And, I just listened to them.
Saying the same things we said all those years ago.
And I miss it.

But, these times are in my past. I cannot go back and relive them. I must remember that there is a great strength in me from those days that I do not utilize enough these days. I got a good recharge out of it. And that was what I needed.
nez

I've always let stuff slide in my life. I've been the friend that will accept u for who u think u r, not what ur actions say.
I am now done with that concept!
U r exactly what u do, and not what u say u r. I'm growing up past my upbringing. The world doesn't want friends, it just wants people to believe what it think it is, even if what it says is totally opposite of it's actions.

I will no-longer believe what u say, I will see what u do. My naive spirit is dead to me.
Sux for the people that think I'm a sucker! F U for taking advantage of my open personality.

Goodbye, believing what someone tells me. Proof is my new best friend!

Who r u? I don't know anymore!
Nez

Sent from iPhone.

I had alot of fun foodserving again, the first time I've waited tables in six years. I meet alot of new people, worked in a part of Houston I had not spent much time in before. I was introduced to a bunch of new music by the bartenders there. I made at least acouple of new friends that I will keep in touch with. I will miss my managers, each who had their own ways of running the place. I'll miss the bartenders, who let me in their clan as a former bartender. Oh how we partied! I will miss the servers, the good ones and the bad ones. Watching how other people dealt with the stress of a high volume sportsbar was fascinating. As I sit at the bar enjoying a beer, because I can now, I'm reminded that it is good to take chances on new things, something that I'm guilty of forgetting. Even if those new things are in response to dire financial situations.

"Hey Jason, I'll have another beer. I'm off and thristy."

Maybe I'll give a bum some cash when he asks me for some when I go smoke. And I know he will ask with a story.

Time to dive into the music, full on!
nez

well, big changes are coming in my life, sooner rather than later. but what doesn't kill u makes u better, right? the work that my vocalist is doing for the new [bleu]:ize album is so much more amazing than I expected. she is doing a great job of bringing to life what is in my head, and dealing with me.

r.i.p. my lil dude. ur were a great lil scaried-cat who always brought a smile to my face with what u did. Toilet paper had to be destroyed in ur eyes. Ice had to be consumed only in the kitchen sink. U were always at my feet as I wrote music. U had a great motor engine when petted, though you didn't like to show it. U wanted to be an outside cat, i wouldn't let that happen. Bugs had no chance in our house if u saw them. U took care to always tell me if maddie would get locked up in a room or closet. U liked licking the nicotine off my fingers after I smoked. Ur fur was so soft. When u stood up, u always looked . . . . noble. I hope u have the biggest couch u ever dreamed of to lay about forever. U were the best cat. I dont want to stop writing this, telling anyone who will read this what a great spirit u were. God got u right the first time. There will be no other noble. Goodbye white socks. I will never forget u. I miss u. I'm sorry.

Nez missing noble

Sent from iPhone.

here he comes. "who likes Ike? not me!"

     well i guess i'll "hunker down" and work on the concept of the new album. got water, food, my ipod (whew!), some candles and a few books. though i imagine that i won't be able to read too much as the winds go howling by my windows.

     it is something amazing to see the evacuations out of the Houston, all that traffic. and it is being performed in a fairly orderly fashion. it is something to see how quickly towns become boarded up, and vacant. waves come crashing ashore, eroding what little of the beaches that are left.

thank god i'm not a tv reporter. good luck tv people, you can face the rain, wind, and water. i'll watch you on tv.

see ya soon,

nez

the mom watched me the whole time i tried to get closer.
one of the lil ones cut in front of my truck. whew, i missed him.

a labor day come and gone with no gustav in sight.

image from the "USA's Gymnastic Gems" photo-gallery on si.com

for the first time in a long while, i was mesmerized by the Olympics. i couldn't get enough! i was getting home as fast as i could or staying up as late as i could to get all i could of the swimming, gymastics, beach volleyball, track and field and the "redeem" team, (though nbc could've spent more time on women's high jump-Blanka Vlasic is all legs and great!).

how could you not be sucked into watching and rooting for the amazing micheal phelps, nastia liukin, shawn johnson, walsh and may-treaner (i saw them in nyc when i was there last month-walsh is really "6' of sunshine"!), kobe, lebron, track and field, the mens volleyball team, their coach, even the rowing i watched. i couldn't get enough of everyone in the Olympics, not just the Americans. works been slow, so i had alot of time to watch alot of the coverage of the Olympics.

And the opening and closing ceremonies were awe-inspiring, especially as a musician. Wow!

to be given a jolt of energy, to get up off my bum and get back to working towards my own goals and dreams; to put behind me the things that have been weighing me down of late; to realize that everyone goes through these pains on their journeys towards what they want to do in their lives; to NOT let the little things, and a few big things, that can so frustrate me; beat me up! Wow! it has been amazing. it has been fun to watch. it has been inspiring!

thank you to all of the people that gave me words of encouragement after reading my last post. it helped greatly.

thanks,
nez

p.s. i chose the picture of nastia with the gold because she's a Texas girl!

Sometimes you say or do something stupid. Then, when you try to fix it, you only to make it worse. Then when you try to fix that, you go 3 for 3 on making things worse. 4 for 4 comes too quick. 5 for 5. Now, you don't know what to do. It is all messed up now. You apologized. Then again. Then you get upset. Then mad. Then sad. Then pissed.
Then you realize how dumb you look. The silent treatment that has been given to you is well deserved. And warranted. Hey, why don't to text them again? They'll text ya back this time, right? No, they won't. And you wouldn't either. You know that if someone had done this to you, you wouldn't want to talk to them either. In fact, you would probably not want to talk to them for a long time.
And here you are, you're dumb. And have lost a friend. Way to go.

Been busy these last few weeks. I have recently been working with V.I.C. go here to listen to him, and recorded an acoustic set for Avenger.

V.I.C (aka uncle vic) has got great flow. He is laying down some vocals for a track on the forecoming (bleu):ize album.

If you have never heard Avenger, check them out here. They are great live and gigging all over Texas. Cool dudes to chill with.

The new (bleu):ize album is coming along great.

If you hang in the Katy area of Houston, I'm usually at the Baker's St. over there on Sunday evenings, finishing my weekends off with a chill night with friends. Stop by, say hi.

EXCEPT, I won't be there this Sunday (problably) because I'm rolling to NYC to hang with my lil sis! Can't wait! My llil summer vac. But, have no worries, I will be back in town, hard at work for YOU, the fans of (bleu):ize.

Hope you enjoy your week, check out the song, tell me whatcha think,

l8s,

nez

hello to all my peeps out there. what is going on with ya'll? been kicking at cheers 2 u way too much lately and music sorta grounded to a stop there for a while.
gettin back on track now.

roll to Scout Bar on the June 18 (it's a wednezday_my favorite day) to catch the last D-fyant show till Colin returns from his trip to London for some summer education. Avenger will be there with us.

note to the british girls: RRRUUUNNNN!, no i kid.

D-fyant and (bleu):ize will be recording albums in the summer (the music, in the case for D-fyant) at my casa. god help my neighbors. i'll probably get to know the local police force now. and i will have to learn to keep a camera on me during the recordings and post some shots up for ya. the new D-fyant stuff should be killer. you'll hear some of it at the show at Scout Bar on June 18. ok, enough promotion.

will have a new single out in a few weeks that will be free to download from the myspace page. i'm goal setting here, i have the idea for the song, i just need to write it now. hopefully you will like it.

still new at this blogging world, so i'm still trying to figure out what to write here.
its fun. maybe i express my wacky political views or rant about the government, or go on and on about my job i do. who knows? i sure the hell don't know, yet.
thanks,
nez