RADIO!

     Howdy, so I just wanted to write about what an interesting and great day it has been so far.  This is really just me being excited and wanting to share some of it with any interested parties.  

     First off, it is Scobra's birthday today.  That in and of itself is cause to celebrate.  On top of that, DJ Hail, our band mate came by today and took us all out to lunch and dessert to celebrate.  As someone who is still in the starving artist faze of the game (although we're really starting to come up by leaps and bounds!) going out to eat is like how other people feel about national holidays.  Pizza, salad, and frozen yogurts of different flavors with different toppings... is it truly christmas in June?  So I am beyond feeling full and content.  Then I get home and check all of the missed calls and texts, and who sent me a line? Why my dear friend Marissa Meryl.  And she hooked me up with an audition/reading this weekend for a thriller film that she is working on.  Soundtrack?... Role?....  (Oh yeah, for those of you that don't know, I have spent my whole life working on performing.  So that includes a LOT of acting training and technique.  And as a further side note, I actually met Marissa through a school that we both attended and graduated from on the Meisner Technique).  But to top it off even further, as I'm getting off of the phone with Marissa, Scobra yells from the studio for me to come in quick.  I go in, and our song Catalyst is playing live on LA Talk Radio's Music Highway, Sheena Metal Experience.  I have been lucky enough by now to have heard other people say that they heard us (RTB) on the radio, I have even heard recordings of it.  But not until now have I experienced it live.  I can't exactly say that this means the world to me, or that I think that I feel more valid in any way.  But we just launched a big promo through Mircosoft Windows, where they place their advertising on our "product" (or should I say our song Catalyst)  and then they pay us to give it away free.  Yeah, it's like a dream come true for me as an artist.  Not in the corporate branding sense, but in the sense that I get to give away something that I love, and think is great; to a bunch of people that I think would like it, and whom I think are great.  And then at the end of the day, instead of losing money like I usually would, I'm MAKING MONEY! 

     The point of the last bit of that tangent was really just that a LOT of things are starting to happen at a much more rapid pace than before.  It makes for a little more stress, and a LOT more work.  But then there are those magical moments like I had today when I heard Catalyst on the radio.  It's in those few moments that I get to step outside of myself, and all of the work that I am doing, and all of the thoughts and worries that I am thinking, and just let myself experience what I'm doing for a moment.  It's a fun breath of fresh air when you remember, 'oh yeah, this stuff that I'm doing is kinda cool, huh? And I'm really doing something with it'.  

     In all honesty, I would be a bold-faced liar if I told you that I "know" what I'm doing.  I think at the very best, I have an ant's-eye-view of a general direction that I am taking.  But I have at least actually committed to a direction, and struck out on the adventure of it all, and.... well, I guess it's just mostly nice to know that the direction I have chosen hasn't lead me to the lava pit or the wasteland (yet).

    So here it is: Yipee!!!!!

I so rarely have a moment to celebrate, that I am taking this one now to do so.  And at the risk of sounding "preachy", for no reason at all, you should just go out and do something fun or cool, or happy.  Rock out with yourself to the superlative level!

xoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxox
Although, if you would be so kind as to celebrate with camp RTB for a sec., you should click on this link and download our song catalyst for free! You'll get a fly freebie with no strings attached, and we'll get 50 cents :)
http://www.myspace.com/windows?homepage=ramonatheband 

xoxo

-DION VOX

Too Late

Live goodness comin' atcha

this is just a little video that our dear friends Nadia and Niklas shot on their digital camera at one of our gigs in Hollywood a while back.  I just wanted to put it up here because I think it's cool, and I just spent a bunch of time joining Viddler (not sure why yet, but hopefully some sort of reason will come to me) so I wanted an excuse to feel like it was worth it.

:)

-Dion Vox

Sha-Website

So here's a moment where I can write not about how hard I'm working, or some crazy lyrics or opinions.  But I get to feel triumphant for at least an hour or two.  I just finished the RTB website.  That's right baby, ramonatheband.com comin' atcha!  Maybe this is not a big deal for most folks. 'Oh, a website, I made two yesterday while I was washing the car.'  But for me, someone who didn't even have a computer until High school (and I'm only 21, so for my generation, that's called being LATE for the boat) this was a big deal for me.  Not that I'm trying to toot my own horn too much or anything.  To be honest, it wasn't that difficult, because I didn't have to do any code, or anything complicated really. I found a site that would do all that jazz for me (some may call it cheating, I'll call it tactical sense).  

Long story short, I'm happy with this little victory, and so if you're curious, and want to check out what I've been babbling about for the last paragraph, here's a link to it:

http://www.ramonatheband.com

Sooper cool  

:)

xox

-Dion

Have Mercy?

     Oh Lordy... well, I feel a little overwhelmed.  First off, I am going to have to detract my previous post's statement about this becoming a Dion Vox blog.  First off, the damn url code says Ramona The Band, so I'm not even sure where the logic was there.  I think honestly, I had a moment of discouragement due to the fact that thus far, I have been the only RTB member posting anything on here.  And while that still obviously remains the case, I will take a moment to now be optimistic, and imagine that that will change in the future.

     Next on the list, I am now a little over 2 weeks into an online course for musicians that I won a scholarship to called Musicians Mastermind 2.0.  Thank God I won a scholarship, because otherwise, I would never have been able to be a part of this.  And also, I am hoping that through this course, I will gain the skills to really start monetizing this RTB action so that I can quit my DAY JOB!!!!  But as far as overwhelmed is concerned, adding SEVERAL hours of work to my already teetering load has not been entirely easy.  But for my "glass half full" segment for this paragraph: If I can keep this up and get this work done, and this knowledge gained now, hopefully it will be of great benefit to me in the future and allow me to work on what I really want to be working on: ART.

     I'm so overwhelmed that I don't even know what to write about now, too many things.... too many things...

     But while I sound scattered and a little lost, I guess I am partially giving a bad and false impression here.  I am keeping my "shit" together.  I'm not stressing out over any of the millions of details.  I do have a clear vision of where I am trying to go.  And thus far, I am not falling off of that map.  I guess the truth of this post is really that it's now going into hour 18 of my day today, and it has been work-non-stop.  So I'm just getting to the end of my "productive" rope for the day.

     Must keep on it though.  Still a few more things to do before I catch a few precious moments of shut-eye.

Over and out-

     Dion Vox 

EverythingElse

     So, aside from the fact that I am honestly thinking about just starting a new Dion Vox blog, and as lovely as this one is, scrapping it; here are some thoughts:

     My coworker Kim (yes, I will fully admit that at this point, I still have a day job) is wonderfull and a terribly literate writer.  From time to time, she'll leave me these great quotes about art and the artist, said by the likes of Plato, to present day musicians.  So yesterday when I was working with her, she gave me this great quote that I thought would be interesting to write about.  

     

     "The reason normal people get wives, kids, hobbies, whatever... That's because they ain't got that ONE thing that hits 'em that hard and that true... I've got music.  You've got... "this".  The thing you think about all the time; the thing that keeps you just south of normal - Yeah... makes us great.  Makes us the best... All we miss out on is... Everything else."

     -American Blues singer (wish I knew his name... but I don't)

     The whole concept of this conversation started about a weeek ago when we were both discussing the pressures of maintaining a "normal" social life.  It sounds kind of silly, but when you have friends, family, and loved ones, it can be hard to explain to them why you can't always, or almost ever, spend time with them.  From their point of view, it would seem that you do not care enough about the relationship to make them a priority.  Which is a sad way to feel.  But from the artists perspective, I find myself caring so deeply, that it promts me to care on a more universal level.  In a sense, those whom I love, can act almost as a muse of inspiriation for my larger vision of what and whom I love.  This "love" is a big part of what pushes me forward in my creativity.  Because to me, art without opinion is imitation.  And the opinion comes from a sense of honest feeling.  And in order to honestly feel, and KNOW what it is that you're feeling, you need to be open to it.  

     Now just being open to this can be quite alienating and hard.  Imagine really feeling all of the gritty emotions that you would normally just suppress, or slough off.  Now imagine taking those emotions, forming opinions about how they make you feel, and why you feel them, and then purging it all into art.  Suddenly, things like just trying to go grocery shopping become significantly more intense, and potentially even painful.  Of course, being open also lends itself quite nicely to the purest feelings of joy and happiness too.  So I can't exactly knock it by any means.  It is just a more intense way of experiencing.

     Then there's the other aspect of what Kim and I were really talking about, and that's that ONE thing that you may or may not have smoldering inside you.  If you haven't got it, then congradulations, you will probably lead a relatively painless life, and that's wonderful.  Because to hold that ONE thing inside of you means nothing less than leading a life with a lot of pain and sarifice.  If you have got it, but you're satisfied with leading a life of supression and quiet frustration, well... that's your call.  Just know that those things usually have a breaking point, and it often leaves victims.  And then there are the people like myself, who have a sort of passion burning so heavily inside of me, that if I don't appease it by letting it loose in the form of art and creativity, well then I start having emotional problems and I become filled with a lot of frustration and rage.  This all sounds quite dramatic, and to me, it kind of is.  That is not the sort of existence that I want to live my life leading.  

     There was a period of a few years where I was in school (we're talkin' middle and early high school) and I wanted to be finished with it so badly (and I had very few friends) that I threw myself headlong into my school work so that I could get it out of it, and also so that I wouldn't have to think about anything else.  I thought that by replacing my dreams, passions, and longings with science, math, and spanish, I could subdue my true feelings until I was able to pursue them unfettered by age.  But what I got instead, was a feeling like I was dying inside, and even though the cure for this illness lay right in front of me, I could not yet reach it.  These years were the years where I deprived myself of writing, acting, singing, just creating in general.  And now that I look backo them, I feel like it was a terrible thing to do.  I was deeply, desparately unhappy because I decided to try and do what was the social norm, and praised thing to do in that community.  And at that time, I saw that as to be a highly programmed robot who can spit out facts, and acomplish tasks that all of the big colleges require of them.  So then, this robot can go to college for further programming, leave college, get a job in which they accomplish the tasks that they have been programmed to, and all is well in the status quo.  

     Now perhapse it now sounds like I am looking down on that whole academic scene.  I just want to clarify that I am not.  What I just stated above was how all of that made ME feel.  I imagine that others probably feel honestly and rightly different.  And I applaud that just as loud.

     But for myself: I have an unquenchable fire inside of me.  I don't even know why, or how, or when.  I couldn't even tell you if there's a purpose behind it, or if it is fair.  All that I know is how I feel, what my opinion is about that feeling, and how to let it flow from me.  Everything else is beautiful to me, wanted even. But without my art, I don't think that I can have anything else.  My art may consume me, but without it, I would consume myself.  So for the sake of keeping myself around to see what some of those Everything's are...

     I'll a keep on chuggin' along on the tracks that I've got.

-Dion Vox

     

I'm not sorry

     Here's the truth: up until now, this blog was used to represent my band, RTB.  And because of that, I kept it pretty "straight" so to speak.  Therefor, I kept my real opinions and life mostly to myself.  Not that I don't think that sharing my lyrics, other writings, etc. isn't important as well.  I still plan on keeping that front nice and healthy.  But I feel like I haven't shared any of my own opinions or personality beyond the abstract.  

     Of course, it would be easy for me to just blame not opening up much on the fact that this was a band blog, that represents all of the members (which it is now not.  From this point on, this is the Dion Vox blog!!).  But what is probably more truthful in the equation is that I think of myself as a nice person, and I don't want to "hurt" anyones feelings.  

But FUCK THAT.  

I have a lot of thoughts in my head that I never get to ponder aloud because of that fear.  But the more that I look around, I find that the biggest roadblock to growth, or anything interesting for that matter, is this horrible concept that everyone seems so damn attached to:

     COMFORT

As an artist, I am constantly looking to explode my current belief system.   This is just my rad way of saying that I am constantly looking to learn new things that change how I think.  Straight up: THERE IS NOTHING COMFORTABLE ABOUT THIS as an objective in life.  And that's the way I like it.  I'm all for a nice bed to sleep in, good food, a roof over my head and all those lovely comforts.  But they're not the end all be all, and furthermore, beyond those comforts I see very little of importance.  In short, comfort is nice and all, but it seems to me that to base one's life around comfort is to base one's life around stagnation and stupidity.  And hey, it makes me uncomfortable to say such things.  But like I said, comfort for comfort-sake just ain't my thang.

     What really prompted me to think on this whole concept of comfort is that between reading Studs Turkel's book Hard Times which was an oral history of the American "great" depression, and listening to the conversations that go on around me, I concluded that ever since the end of our last economic collapse the American folks have become obsessed with safety and comfort.  This is completely understandable to me on a human level.  If you spend so much of your life just trying to survive with nothing, it seems natural that you would never want to go back to that.  Even on a personal note: I have spent time trying to survive on next to nothing, and there is indeed a great deal that I would sacrifice just to never have to return to that level.  BUT  FURTHERMORE, survivors of the last depression never ever wanted their children to even know that such depravity exists.  Well, just look where the baby-boomers bathed in comfort have gotten us.  And look even further down the line to the yuppie scum that has been created in their wake.  Somewhere along the line, someone must have said, "Hey, you guys can keep your trinkets, but you have to turn your brains off.  Or better yet, why don't you just think what I tell you to think.  Don't worry, you won't even have to read anything if you don't want to.  You'll get my messages from everywhere you look and listen.  So it's all good now, you've got your accessories, and I'll just keep your minds."

     This is where I think the comfort generations have landed us.  And I'm no special case or exception.  I feel like I bear the same responsibility as everyone else in this mess.  The only difference between myself, and a lot of the people that I see around me is that I'm not attached to this comfort.  I'm not even attracted to it.  Memorized facts, paper money, paper degrees, or any of the other "feel-superior" bullshit trappings left to us seem like a sad waste of time to me.  What I'm interested in, and attached to is the truth, what ever it may be.  I don't even think I have a clue what it is yet.  But until I figure it out, I'll let everyone else squabble over what a politicians favorite food or color is, or what kind of car you drive, or how many people you've slept with, or with just about everything put out by the media in general.

     So, I guess that that was my little rant.  I thought about apologizing for it, but that would make it seem like I don't believe what I just wrote.  And truth be told, I do, with no apologies or disclaimers attached.  Even if a month from now I decide that I was wrong about it all, I'm not sorry, and I take back nothing.  I'm down to claim responsibility for myself, so where's everyone else at on that level? 

Cubase Undone

     So Scobra recently helped me to set up (or should I say, he set up)Cubase on a computer for me.  And so I have just started getting into tracking vocals on my own.  Not too advanced, I know.  I'm not exactly "cutting fresh beats" on it yet by any means.  Actually, for those of you that are familiar with programs like that, I'm still just trying to beatmap and snap the damn songs to a grid.  I am primitive as of yet.  But on Friday, I had a good round at it and recorded something that I'm calling UNDONE for now (that's the title).  And since a lot of my posts have been scattered updates and excuses, I thought that I should post something creative.  So here are the lyrics for the new song:

UNDONE

Starin' out into space

Lookin' for your pretty face

Said some things I can't erase

Broke some things I can't replace

You've touched me here, touched me there

Touched me everywhere

Held my heart, in your hand

Since I put it there

Always thought, we were friends

I was unaware

Of what cannot, be mended

That you destroyed my dear

I'm, comin' undone

Life on the run

It's not any fun

Hey

Doomed, to repeat mistakes

Keep raisin' the stakes

Yet I love what I taste

Hey

Time number two was a bitter pill

Got me soft then got their fill

Time number two almost got me killed

Drank a lot and fought my will

There's some things, I forget

There's some I regret

Broken wings, empty threats

Always so upset

Wild nights, empty days

Trying to erase

Never right, losing face

Trying to escape

I'm, coming undone

Life on the run

It's not any fun

Hey

Doomed, to repeat mistakes

Keep raisin' the stakes

Yet I love what I taste

Hey

Try number three ought to be a charm

Thought at least it could do no harm

Cry for a feast when you're starved and torn

Desperation be forewarned

I've held back, I admit

Never did see fit

To voice these things, as I should 

When they could be writ

Did I see, with you and me

A future feelin' free

I did not get imagery

Could not love completely

I'm, comin' undone

Life on the run

It's not any fun

Hey

Doomed, to repeat mistakes

Keep raisin' the stakes

Yet I love what I taste

Hey

-DION VOX