RoCk lOtTeRy Results!!!

*** The first set of pictures where I'm in black are from a birthday party we performed at and the pictures where I'm in white are from the Rock Lottery.

The Rock Lottery was a HUGE hit for the band. We had been practicing for about 3 weeks up the that point with some weeks consisting of three practices. By the time the night came around for us to actually get up and perform in front of people, we knew we were ready! There were more bands there then we had originally expected; which was fine by me as it's always good to see more of the competition when you get the chance. Our band decided on the name of "She and Namja". Namja is Korean for "man" and since we have one woman in our band, she would be "she" and the rest of us would be namja. It has a certain ring to it and it's grown on us as a whole. Well we were picked to go last in the competition because the person who was running it had heard us previously and knew we were one of the best bands there and wanted us to finish up the night. There were 2 Korea bands that played and one of them covered quite a few Metallica songs and did a fairly decent job in doing so. I was very surprised by their abilities. The room we played in was packed as you can see in the picture. I definitely have to admit that when I got on stage and saw the number of people that were actually there, I did get a bit anxious and nervous but overly more excited than anything! We played 6 songs in total as we were only given 30 minutes to perform our set. The songs we performed were "When I Come Around" by Greenday, "Shimer" by Fuel, "Creep" by Radiohead, "You Really Got me Going" by The Kinks, "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer, and "7 Nation Army" by The White Stripes. The place was going crazy for us and I have to admit, it was a rush and I can definitely see why bands continue to tour until they nearly dead in the ground. We were only playing in front of 100 or so people, not thousands at any given time.

Ok so I need to explain as to what exactly happened on the birthday in which we performed. The Rock Lottery took place on the 19th and we wound up playing again this past Friday, the 25th. I had just finished work and went home to change to head out with some friends as we normally do on a Friday night when I received a text from one of the band members that said "be at 2B1 in an hour, we're playing!". I was certainly a bit confused but grabbed my drum sticks and headed out! We showed up to the bar and there were maybe 15 people there and it was certain let down from the previous weekends crowd. Within a matter of 5 minutes the entire place was filled with people! Those nerves decided to visit again but a cold beer was all I needed to fight them off. We performed the same set as we did the weekend before with the same crowd reaction. 2B1 is known for being a place with "open mic" many nights of the week. There were some other musicians there and one of the groups asked me to come up and play the bongos for them, hence the pictures of me and bongos. We had a really fun time night.

I was contacted yesterday on Facebook by a person who writes for an English magazine from Seoul and she wanted to know the name of the band, the members, and if we'd be interested in performing in a Battle of the Bands competition soon. I couldn't believe that she was contacting me from a magazine about our little ole band but we'll see where this takes us! More to come on the band as we're planning a HUGE Halloween party/show and this Battle will be interesting as well!!!

Jeonju Weather and Rock Lottery

The weather here in Jeonju is beyond perfect! Fall is settling in and the highs are around the low 80's with a great breeze and no clouds in the sky and a low falling to the low 60's. When I was told that Korea experiences all four seasons with drastic changes, they weren't kidding! The air conditioner hasn't been turned on in over a week now. As the night begins to settle in, a definitive cooler breeze starts to churn through the apartment. At times it's actually a little chilling but nothing a nice comforter can't help. This is definitely the best weather that I have had the pleasure of experiencing. I can definitely see how winter is going to be a bit bone chilling but it's a time that I'm anxiously awaiting. The first opportunity to make a snow man, a legitimate snow angel, and actually have a full on snow ball fight are events that can't come soon enough. Although I'm very excited to experience all of the above, I'm certainly enjoying the current weather conditions. For all of you Floridians reading this, I can feel your hatred for me growing as seconds pass :) It's extremely enjoyable to be able to venture around outside without sweating 4 gallons of perspiration due to the humidity and heat that the great state of Florida offers its residents.

Also, I'm not sure if any of you are up to date on my musical endeavors but I am currently part of a 5 man band playing rock and roll covers from past and present genres. The Rock Lottery is an event that Jeonju has been holding for the past 5 years. Local musicians who want to be involved in the competition put their names into a hat and the instrument in which they want to play. Random names are drawn, 5 at a time, and then teamed together; no matter what instrument they play. Luckily my team consisted of 2 guitar players, a bass, player, a lead singer, and myself on drums. We've been practicing now for the past 2 months and Saturday the 19th will be the big competition. We are fairly certain that we're going to win. I'll have pictures and an update to come shortly!!!

Great Surprise!

Today I received a package from my mom in which I was informed of ahead of time but I was kept in the dark about what the exact contents of said box would be. Needless to say, any time a gift from back home is on it's way, minutes then start to feel like hours and days start to feel like months just awaiting the thing. About 5 days after my mom mentioned that the package was on it's way, the door bell rand and there it was! Whatever I was doing at the time, watching TV, updating my fantasy football team, downloading some music, was no longer of any importance. Full and 100% attention was focused on nothing about the contents of this box! Ripping through the layers of tape on every seam of the box and throwing the bubble wrap half way across the room the excitement took over and the only thing I was capable of doing was dumping every last content in this box out of my bed. Like a kid on Christmas day I start digging through everything that was in front of me. After speaking with my mom I was informed that she and one of the nicest ladies I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, Mrs. Piesch (a woman who I have known at my church in Orlando since I was born) were the ones who sent me the AMERICAN Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and abundance of taco seasoning (yes, 2nd taco party will now commence), graham crackers for TRUE smores, some candy and more seasoning. I can assure you that EVERYTHING will be utilized to the fullest extent and this box and it's contents were MUCH appreciated!!! :)